


Clear seas, palm trees, and the white sand

by corsica



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Beach Holidays, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:00:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 34,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27759541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corsica/pseuds/corsica
Summary: While stuck on a deserted island together, Ritsuka and Karna navigate through their relationship as best as they can. They also navigate through the thirteen other people who came with them and are tired of watching neither of them make a move.Or, Chaldea Summer Memory Redux, where the boys have more screen time, and nearly everyone tries to get together two people with zero sense of self worth.
Relationships: Female Fujimaru Ritsuka/Karna | Lancer, Fujimaru Ritsuka/Karna | Lancer of Red
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so i started playing fgo in late 2019 during the babylonia anime campaign because i stan casgil, so i've been going back and rewatching the events that i missed and lamenting the welfare servants i could not get. i'm still devastated that i have both 5* servants koji yusa voices but not the one you get for free, especially because rider kintoki slaps :(
> 
> both fate/grand order and the fate/extra series, where you can choose the sex of the player character, are still both written pretty much assuming you are playing as a straight male, which means you dont really get any romantic stuff with the male servants, which is sad, because there are many handsome good boys i would love to see fight over me. except for astolfo, fergus, and, let's be honest, dantes, who saw a dumbass and decided to love them forever, there's not really a whole lot there for female players who want to veer towards the male side of bisexuality. i don't particularly mind that all the girls want to jump on your dick because god knows i wife the horniest female servant there is, but i frankly don't believe for a second that all the ladies would treat their master the same if they were a girl instead of a guy
> 
> so this is me after i watched chaldea summer memory going "i am going to write the beach episode i deserve". it's 30k god damn words but at least i deigned to break it up into chapters this time in spite of the fact that it reads almost the exact same as the fic i posted a few weeks ago. please enjoy this very sappy, cheesy, cliche romance fic where we follow the kinoko nasu tradition of picking the things we want from a character's lore and personality while ignoring absolutely everything else.

“I—I—I'm _fine!_ I'm not that hot, I swear!”

Ritsuka's face only grew more red as Tamamo began pulling at the long white sleeve of her uniform with a raised eyebrow. She batted Tamamo's hand away, ignoring the beads of sweat that slid down her back as the sun hung above her in the cloudless sky, heat baking her beneath her clothes.

They'd only been on the island for a little over a day, but the outfits the girls had been wearing weren't exactly summer-friendly, and it became an issue for most of them quickly. Changing the Spirit Origin of the female Servants had been a relatively easy task for Scáthach, but considering Ritsuka was the sole non-Servant, the solution for her was a little more mundane. Mundane, but still a daunting task for a teenage girl.

Scáthach, though, only had so much patience.

“You'll get a heatstroke from those tights—they're jet black, with no breathing room to speak of,” the unimpressed look on Scáthach's face began to turn into outright irritation, “Ritsuka, I can _see_ you _sweating,”_ she pressed the swimsuit she had created firmly against Ritsuka's chest, “Stop being so stubborn and put it _on.”_

“B-But...”

She stood on her toes and peered behind Scáthach's shoulder to look at the male Servants that had rayshifted with them. They were all just standing around, talking about something or other—sans Karna, who was kneeling in the sand, focusing intently on the crabs that were scuttling about. She began to shrink into herself, face growing redder, as she saw him.

“None of them are even looking over here!” Tamamo tutted, holding her hand over her brow like a visor, “Karna least of all, what is his _deal_ with those crabs...” realization broke over Tamamo's face, and her mouth grew into a smug, knowing grin, “Oh _wait—.”_

“I'm stopping you _right there.”_ Mordred's excited hollering as she rode the waves followed Ritsuka's words, “He has nothing to do with this!”

Scáthach rolled her eyes, “That's a complete lie, but I'll let it slide because that's not the point right now.”

Ritsuka bit into her lip, mentally grasping at straws.

“L—Look, none of the guys are wearing swimsuits, either!”

A frustrated groan came from Scáthach as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Ritsuka. They're _shirtless,”_ she looked over her shoulder, squinting, before turning back, “Karna doesn't even _wear clothes._ They'll be _fine,”_ Scáthach pressed her hand to her forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Ritsuka still made no attempt to move. Scáthach narrowed her eyes. Time to bring out the big guns.

“Kyrielight! I need your help!”

Ritsuka's eyes went wide in _immediate_ panic.

“Wait no that's _cheating—!”_

Mash, in conversation with Marie, had turned at the sound of her name, and bounded over towards Tamamo, Scáthach, and Ritsuka, carefully avoiding the increasing amount of craggy rocks in the sand at the part of the beach where the trio was.

“Yes? What is it?”

“She won't change into the swimsuit,” Scáthach pointed at Ritsuka, “Convince her. I would rather she didn't die of hyperthermia.”

As soon as Mash turned to her, a sweet smile on her face, Ritsuka's resolve began to crack.

“Senpai, really, it's no big deal. We might as well get into the spirit of things while we're here!” Mash gently placed her hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, an encouraging glint in her eye, “And I've read about this type of thing—we're on what's called a “girl's trip”, and it's typically a good bonding experience for everyone involved.”

“I...I don't...” Ritsuka trailed off, unable to make up any excuses with Mash looking at her so expectantly.

“I was hoping maybe we could go out in the ocean together, too...we won't be able to do that if you don't get properly dressed for it.”

Ritsuka was beginning to look more and more ashamed. She was hanging on by a thread.

“Besides!” Mash held her arms behind her back, utterly beaming at Ritsuka, “I'm sure you'll look really cute in it, Senpai!”

Ritsuka clutched at her chest—the finishing blow had been dealt. It was over.

Any fight left in Ritsuka had evaporated as soon as Mash gave her that big, hopeful smile. She breathed in, breathed out, centered herself emotionally, and shot Scáthach a dirty look.

“...Alright, _fine._ I'll put it on.”

“Fantastic,” Scáthach put her hands on Ritsuka's shoulders and spun her around, “There's a big rock over there that will cover you. Now go change already.”

***

“Wh—Are—Are you _kidding_ me?!”

All the boys looked up as they heard Ritsuka's distressed screech.

“S-Scáthach! This _—This is way too skimpy!”_

They all watched as her head poked out from behind a large rock, and the redness of her face was noticeable even at the distance they were at. Once she saw that all eyes were on her, she startled, a frightened look on her face, before she yanked her head back to be fully hidden once more.

“Oh for—.” Scáthach turned her head and snapped back, entirely out of patience, _“Just put it on!”_

Cú's eyebrow raised.

“This should be interesting.”

“Hm...” Fionn rubbed his chin, “I have never considered Master to be my type but I would be lying if I said I wouldn't want to know what she looks like in a swimsuit. Are you not curious too, Diarmuid?”

“I...I suppose so. Seeing a more casual look for Ritsuka would certainly be new.”

“You know, I am surprised she's so bent out of shape from just putting on a swimsuit. The Mystic Codes she wears at Chaldea aren't exactly modest. What is it...the Atlas Academy Uniform? She _hates_ wearing that one; the skirt is so short and tight that she can't even run in it. I just had to pick her up and carry her one time because we were being chased and she could hardly move her legs,” Cú shook his head, “At least the glasses make her look cute.”

“I've often wondered why the Combat Uniform is cut the way it is, for women,” the four of them turned their heads as they heard Karna's voice as he came up from behind them, “She gets cold whenever she wears it.”

“There you are. You finally done looking at crabs?” Cú's voice drawled.

“For now. They're fascinating creatures.”

Tamamo's head, ears, and tail perked up as she saw Karna group up with the rest of them, and she darted towards the rock Ritsuka had changed behind, tugging on her arm to pull her out. She gave Ritsuka a little push once she was fully out, revealing the scanty orange bikini Scáthach had foisted upon her. Her face was terribly pink and she was saying something loudly to Tamamo, irritation both written on her face and coming through the cadence of her voice, but it melted into shock and mortification, her body going perfectly still, as her eyes locked on the male Servants, all of whom were staring towards them curiously. A steady shade of crimson slowly spread all over her face, down to her neck, until she had the wherewithal to dive behind Mash. Ritsuka took to peeking out from behind her kouhai as she obscured herself with her, and multiple female Servants gathered around to give her encouraging pats on the back.

Karna's eyes widened slightly as he had watched her be revealed, albeit forcibly.

While her entire body was lightly muscled, arms toned, stomach flat, there was still a certain softness to her form, perhaps due to how creamy and spotless her skin was. His eyes had followed down the cinched curve of her waist to where her hips flared out, the bottom of her swimsuit hanging just a smidgen too low, and as his eyes went lower still, he felt his gaze fixed permanently on her legs, unaware until now of just how long and smooth they really were.

Tangentially, he was aware that there were ten other beautiful women in revealing swimsuits on the beach along with Ritsuka, but they faded out of his vision and looked like nothing more than faceless blobs to him as he had focused solely on his Master.

Cú snorted, “Can't say I'm surprised that you're at a loss for words.”

Karna's attention snapped back, and he looked at Cú with furrowed eyebrows, “What?”

“Nothing. I gotta say, Ritsuka _is_ cute in a swimsuit.”

“She does look quite nice,” Kojirou hummed, “Though I still find that Lady Martha looks the best.”

“Really?” Cú squinted his eyes, “I mean, sure, she's pretty, but it's Mordred for me. I like that sporty vibe, I guess. And it was pretty cool to see her beat a large crab to death with a surfboard.”

“Oh? Who do you find the most appealing, Diarmuid?” Fionn threw a smirk at him, “Just don't pick the same one I do this time.”

Nothing but pain was written on Diarmuid's face once Fionn finished speaking.

“If...I had to choose...” he began, his voice strained, “...Then I would choose Lady Scáthach. The flower in her hair compliments her eyes quite beautifully.”

“Ah, quite lucky then! I find Tamamo to be the most radiant of them all; her ears sticking out of her hat is very adorable.”

Whistling, Cú grinding his foot the sand as he shifted back and forth impatiently, “Well, they look like they're done messing around, so we should probably start talking things over to see where we go from here. We can't just stay on this island forever.”

“ _Cú Chulainn!”_

“Eh?” he turned his head just in time to get hit square in the face with salt water from Artoria's squirt gun; the King of Knights looked very pleased with herself as she stood knee-deep in the ocean, _“Hey!_ What the hell?!”

“Letting yourself be distracted in battle? What a foolish Lancer!” she declared, before shooting him in the face repeatedly.

 _“Augh—Stop—Ggh—_ Okay _—Okay,_ that's _it—_ you guys do _whatever_ you want, I'm gonna go dunk her into the water,” Cú de-materialized his spear before sprinting towards the ocean and doing a diving tackle towards Artoria, splashing her with a large burst of water.

Scáthach closed the distance that had been between them and the male Servants, shaking her head all the while. Mash followed behind her, and Ritsuka kept her eyes firmly pointed towards the sand, arms wrapped around her chest, as she tried to stay hidden behind Mash—with limited success.

“Well, I suppose a discussion to figure out where to go from here can wait for now.”

Diarmuid hummed, “We have only been here a very short while...I doubt there will be too much of a problem if we indulge ourselves a little,” his eyes slid over to Kojirou, who had taken the time to slip away and lounge against the base of a palm tree. A light breeze came in to shake the fronds that drooped above him.

Scáthach's head turned in the direction where Tamamo sat in the sand, pointed towards the sun, Kiyohime partially visible to the left of her, “Some of them were only all too eager to take the chance to laze about. Ah, well...might as well have some fun before we get down to brass tacks,” she poked Fionn in the chest, “Now, I distinctly remember you bragging some time ago about how fast of a swimmer you were. Still feeling confident?”

“Competing against the Queen of the Land of Shadows? It would be my honor to defeat you. Diarmuid! Come act as our referee!”

Diarmuid sighed, “Of course, my liege.”

With the three of them taking their leave, only Mash, Ritsuka, and Karna were left on the beach. It was quiet between them, but the wheels in Mash's head were turning as she first looked at Karna, then back at Ritsuka, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tamamo giving her a thumbs-up.

“Senpai,” she started, placing her hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, “I'm gonna go look for shells to collect. Maybe we could make a necklace with some!” she took one large step to the side, out of the way, so Ritsuka was no longer obscured, “Let's meet up later!”

Ritsuka's eyes went wide, “Mash, wait—!”

She reached out in desperation, but Mash was already running off, giving her a little wave as she left footprints in the sand.

Karna kept his gaze on Ritsuka, who kept _her_ gaze strictly on the sand. The wind picked up again, blowing a stream of sand across the beach, and she squeezed her eyes shut as it blew locks of her hair in front of her face. They snapped open, though, as she felt warm fingers touching her cheek; his eyes were normally piercing, almost intimidating, but they had gone soft as he looked down at her. He brushed the loose strands behind her ear, out of the way, so he could properly see her face; the pitch black of his fingers contrasted heavily against her light skin, especially as the rays of the sun brightened her further.

Large orange eyes focused on him as he rested his palm lightly against her reddened cheek. Ritsuka let out an almost inaudible whine, and the blush only spread further to her face as his index finger traced around the shell of her ear.

Karna opened his mouth to break the silence.

“H—.”

“I—I'm gonna...” Ritsuka interrupted him, trailing off; her eyes darted around the area, and he narrowed his own at her in confusion, “I...”

She ended the conversation prematurely by way of running away from it.

He watched her dash off towards the forest, his hand raising as he made a move to go towards her as she stumbled from her large, clunky sandals, but he stayed rooted in place as she righted herself and disappeared into the woods.

His hand stayed raised for a moment, before he slowly lowered it, still looking in the direction she'd left.

***

She'd been led out of the woods by a sympathetic and somewhat guilty-looking Mash about ten minutes later, the two of them sitting against the trunk of a large, tropical tree at the edge where the forest turned into the beach. Ritsuka had her knees pulled up to her chest, still terribly embarrassed by the swimwear she'd been forced into.

“Th—This barely covers me at _all.”_

She groaned, wrapping her arms around her legs and watching her Servants cavort around the beach, taking in the scenery and indulging themselves in some much-earned fun before they needed to get down to business in terms of making their situation livable.

Mash gave her a pat on the back.

“I—I'm sorry about leaving you alone earlier. I thought you two could...you know...” she twiddled her fingers together, “Well...if it counts for anything, I really do think it looks nice on you, Senpai.”

“...It does. Thanks, Mash,” though it was weak, Ritsuka was able to give her a smile, “And it's okay about earlier,” she sighed, “It's just...whenever I needed a new bathing suit, during the fall sales, I would always just buy some plain looking one piece because that's what I was so used to wearing in school. I wear my hair the exact same way every day, I'm not exactly what you would call _adventurous_ in terms of style choices,” Ritsuka ran a hand through her hair, “I—I don't have Scáthach's perfect proportions! Why did she think I could pull this off?!”

“Well...to be fair...” Mash started, “She isn't exactly known for her modest clothing. The regular outfit she wears as a Lancer is pretty...”

“That's...true. Maybe she just _can't_ wear or make clothes that _aren't_ really revealing.”

A yelp from Artoria cut through the air, and the two of them glanced up. She had fallen off Diarmuid's shoulders and into the clear blue water during a game of Chicken against Scáthach and Cú. Teacher and student had matching smug expressions as their fists bumped together.

 _“That's_ how you do it!”

“Strength C, Skill EX.”

Cú gave a toothy grin, and Scáthach smirked proudly.

Artoria's wet, blonde hair hung limply in her face, but she seemed too displeased about her loss to care about her appearance, “Rematch! Right now!”

Ritsuka shook her head, “Even as an Archer she doesn't know how to take a loss...” she looked at Mash, “Hey, I know you feel bad about abandoning me earlier, but really, it's fine. You don't need to sit here and listen to me complain just because you feel guilty, or because you think I need the company. Go swim if you want,” Ritsuka summoned the strength to give her another small smile, “I'll...I'll join everyone else in a bit, I promise. Just give me some time to psyche myself up.”

“...Are you sure?” Mash's lower lip stuck out slightly as she frowned, “I don't mind sitting here with you.”

She gave Mash a playful little shove, “I swear, I'll be _fine._ Just give me a little longer, okay? I can show you how to do an underwater handstand later, if you want.”

That got her to perk up, “Oh, that sounds fun!” she pushed herself off the ground into a standing position, “Okay, I'll be over by Marie helping her with the sand castle she's building. Come get me when you wanna get in the water!”

She returned the wave Mash gave her as she ran off towards Marie, her mood dipping significantly once Mash's back was turned; it was hard to stay in a bad mood around Mash, but she didn't want to drag her kouhai down with her pity party. Her forehead smacked repeatedly against her knees as she brought her head down, and her arms snaked around her legs to hold on, sitting as rigidly as possible.

“I'm really going to have to wear this the whole time I'm here...” her eyes closed, “Ugh...”

While she could hear someone's quiet footsteps in the sand, she didn't feel the need to move until she felt something gently placed around her shoulders. Her head popped up, and she watched as Karna sat down beside her.

“That should help ease your discomfort,” he was as calm as always as he spoke to her, “Although, it may make you too warm.”

“I—.” her face burned as she cocooned herself in it, “Thank you...” she peeked up at him, cheeks still red, “I—I'm sorry about earlier! I didn't mean to run off, I just...”

He leveled a serious look at her, “Running off into the forest by yourself was dangerous. You are lucky you didn't get hurt—we don't know what else could be on this island.”

“...oh...” she hadn't even thought of that, “I'm...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry.”

The sobering expression on his face only lasted briefly, his eyes turning tender as he gave her a light smile, “...You returned safely, and that's what matters.”

Ritsuka tugged his cape around her more securely, and she inched her way closer to him until her shoulder was touching his. Her heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest.

With one big, deep breath, she finally fully turned to look at him, her face still flush, “Karna, um, listen. I...I really hope me being embarrassed isn't bringing the mood down and messing this up for you! I know we just got here, but we can at least have a little fun, right? So...before we really get down to it and start trying to figure out a way off the island, we should have a good time, even though right now, I don't exactly feel...” she trailed off, “I...I just don't want to be ruining this for you...”

Ritsuka brought her face down again, more ashamed of herself than flustered.

“Master,” Karna's voice was low as he rubbed up and down her back in a slow, steady rhythm, and she could feel the stiffness of her body slowly melt away, “You're not ruining anything.”

Her eyes were gentle as they met his, and she couldn't help the little smile that tugged at her lips, “...Thanks. But...I'm the only girl here who can't seem to get comfortable to the...the change in wardrobe. It's really hard to feel confident when somebody like Scáthach is _right there.”_

Confusion settled on his face, his eyebrows pulled into a furrow, “...I'm not sure I follow.”

She cringed.

_How am I supposed to explain the concept of teenage insecurity to him._

“Well, it's...” Ritsuka started slowly, “Let me put it this way. It's easy to feel inadequate when she has basically the perfect body and the confidence to pull off what she's wearing.”

He still looked confused.

“But you look better than she does.”

His cape fluttered half open as one of her hands left it to cover the bottom half of her face, her eyes squeezing shut as she became physically incapable of continuing to look at him. Karna himself only seemed to get more puzzled by her response.

“...I...” she shook her head, her words just barely eking out, “...thanks.”

After one deep breath, she was finally able to meet his eyes again, though her cheeks were still tinged pink.

“Listen, I...I already told this to Mash when she was by me, but...you don't have to sit by me, just to keep me company. If you want to go...uh...look at crabs some more, don't let me stop you. I'll be fine, really.”

“I have no desire to be anywhere else right now,” he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, knuckles just grazing against the side of her face, “...But if you wish to be by yourself, I'll take my leave.”

“N—No!” her hand snapped to grab his bicep, just above the start of his armor, “No, you can stay here!” once she realized she was grasping him, eyes flicking down to where her hand was, she yanked it back.

The heat of her palm faded slowly from his skin, and his eyes trailed down to where she had pressed against.

Ritsuka's embarrassment was gradually replaced by a somber look as she rested her chin on her knees, “I really do want to go out in the ocean with Mash, but...I just can't get the courage to do it.”

He stayed quiet, eyes closing in thought, and once he finally faced her, she could see the sincerity present in his eyes.

“I have to admit, I cannot understand where your hesitation is coming from. But I will stay by you for as long as you want,” the corners of her lips tugged up into a sweet smile, and his pulse picked up, “...My opinion may be worth little, but I don't believe any of the other female Servants match you in appearance.”

A blush blossomed on her cheeks as her smile grew wider, and she placed her hand on the ground to balance herself as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Her lips were soft and full against his skin, and he hadn't even realized he'd stopped breathing until she pulled away from him.

“Well..it's not worth little if it means a lot to me,” she laughed, light and playful, “...Thank you, Karna,” a shiver went down his spine from just how gently she had said his name; carefully, she removed his cape from around her shoulders, and folded it as neatly as she could before she handed it back to him, “I...I think I'll be okay now.”

Ritsuka stood, and walked out into the sun; she turned towards him, skin radiant, eyes shining in the light, a smile pulling at her lips. A gust of wind came through, and she kept her hand up to keep her hair pushed out of the way as she spoke to him.

“Um,” her voice was quiet, shaking with a hint of nervousness, and she held her arms behind her back as the wind died down, bouncing up on the balls of her feet, “L—Let's do something together, later, just the two of us. Okay?”

It was all he could do to just give her a mute nod of his head. She returned it with a little wave and a big smile, and his eyes followed her as she ran towards Mash to help her off the sand as they headed into the ocean, the clear water twinkling in light of the afternoon sun.

***

“...Ha! There!”

Ritsuka and Tamamo stared at the sign that Tamamo had used her parasol to hammer in to the sand. Tamamo placed her hands on her hips, radiating pride in herself.

“...The First Ever Happy BBQ Fiesta For Master Ritsuka & Servants,” Ritsuka leveled a skeptical glance at Tamamo, “I'm not really sure how necessary this sign was, considering, as far as we know, we're the only ones on this island, and we're _all_ already here.”

“You can't have a BBQ without the proper atmosphere, Master,” Tamamo chided her, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The two of them made their way to the barbecue near the shore of the beach. Slabs of meat of varying sizes and cuts were stacked on top of each other on a bed of palm fronds in the sand, and a bonfire started easily by Scáthach's runes burned high. A startlingly large chunk of meat was skewered and hanging above the fire, gradually turning as it slowly but surely cooked.

 _“Shishou,”_ Cú started as Ritsuka and Tamamo took their places around the bonfire, “You really carried an entire deer carcass down to the beach. Like it was _nothing.”_

Karna nodded, “And you took it down with just one quick spearing...really, I couldn't be more impressed. Your skill and strength as a warrior is nothing less than expected.”

“I—I agree, but,” Mash's voice was nervous, and she looked around, waiting to see if anyone else was going to say anything, “C-Could you wash the blood off yourself before we get started, Scáthach?”

“A little blood is nothing,” she said, slathered in deer blood, “Let's eat first. Master, you're looking peckish, so come over here and get the first serving.”

By the time they had all had their fill, the sky gained a pinkish hue as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. Karna stood at what had been the raging bonfire, now only a pit of dying embers and burned charcoal. An uneaten piece of deer rib was on a large leaf he held in his hand, but his gaze was elsewhere, across the sand, watching as Ritsuka sat patiently, letting Kiyohime feed her bits of meat that she'd specially roasted for her dear Master. Once the last few pieces were gone, Ritsuka said something inaudible, but whatever it was made Kiyohime beam at her with pride. She made a circle motion with her finger, both girls turning in the sand, and Ritsuka's fingers worked through Kiyohime's ponytail to take it down, beginning a braid.

“You've really got it bad, huh?”

Cú was gnawing on the bone of the deer that was almost entirely picked clean, still trying to get off the last remnants of meat as he came up to Karna. It took him a moment before he realized Cú had even said anything,

“What?”

“For Master? You're in love with her,” he tossed the now 100% meat-free bone behind his shoulder, where it landed on top of the stone and charcoal.

Karna didn't respond, but he made no attempt to deny it.

“Take a page out of Snake Girl's book and just tell her,” Cú licked the residual meat off his fingers, his sharp teeth baring, “I've been keeping count, she's said it ten times already.”

“Saying anything would put her in an awkward position,” he finally took a bite of his food, chewing and swallowing before speaking again, “...How I feel about her has no relevance to my duty as her Servant.”

“So you're just going to watch her from afar while quietly dying inside?”

He closed his eyes, breathed in, and said nothing.

“Guess there's my answer,” Cú shook his head, “How long has it been, anyway?”

His head turned away from Cú as he stared in Ritsuka's direction once more.

“...Since her return from London.”

“Jeez, that long? And you _still_ haven't said anything? I really don't get you sometimes,” Cú sighed, and muttered, “Well, something has to give eventually.”

They both watched as Ritsuka pulled away from Kiyohime, her yellow ribbons keeping two long, braided pigtails tied together. The two girls grinned at each other, both of their hands touching in high-fives.

“Ritsuka! Come here! Anne wants to do your hair, too!” Martha's voice carried as she yelled and waved her arm, her own hair done in a side plait with flowers running through it.

Kiyohime helped Ritsuka up as the two jogged across the sand to the other girls, and Ritsuka sat down on a rock in front of Anne; the rest of the girls crowded around her in a way that unintentionally obscured her. It only took a few minutes, and when they finally pulled back, Ritsuka was smiling at Anne and saying something indecipherable. Her hair was put up in a ponytail, a separate braid leading into it, with a white hibiscus tucked behind her ear.

The ten other girls blurred in his vision once more as Karna looked solely at Ritsuka.

 _“Damn,_ that's really cute,” Cú wolf whistled loudly, both getting the girls' attention and snapping Karna out of his trance; he cupped his hands over his face and shouted, “Looking good, Master!”

Ritsuka's ponytail swished as her head snapped towards Cú and Karna, orange eyes wide in shock. Her hand came up in a shy wave as her cheeks gradually turned more and more flush, until she was hiding her face entirely in her hands. Several of the other girls were laughing, playfully needling her about something.

After everyone had finally finished eating, the beach became sparsely populated; the bonfire finally ran nothing but smoke and ash, and all the leftover meat had been taken by Scáthach to be stored elsewhere. The sun was almost entirely set on the horizon, the orange of dusk just about gone, replaced by a warm blue as, one by one, the stars began to come out twinkling.

Ritsuka spotted Karna on the beach, arm resting over one bent knee, looking towards the ocean. A look of pleasant surprise crossed his face as she began to approach him, before was hit with a realization, and he turned away from her with a grimace.

“Master, I...I apologize, for what happened earlier.”

She laughed, “Hey, don't worry about it, we have plenty of meat, still,” she sat down by him, knees pulled up to her chest, “Burning that much isn't gonna hurt us. More than anything, I was just stunned, though; I really don't know why both you _and_ Kojirou thought that it would be a good idea,” she furrowed her eyebrows at him, “Have you ever used Brahmastra to...not...utterly vaporize something?”

“...In hindsight, no,” Karna closed his eyes, his fingertips pressing against his forehead, “It was still shameful of me to waste food like that.”

“A real hero disintegrates meat with their eyes,” she chuckled, _“Really,_ it's not that big of a deal, I promise. We all talked it over and we're going to figure out a way to build proper kitchen facilities soon, and we're going to till a field to start growing some actual plants. We can't eat just BBQ forever—well, _I_ can't eat just BBQ forever.”

She breathed in the sea salt that wafted through the air as a gentle breeze swayed her ponytail and ruffled the petals of the hibiscus tucked behind her left ear.

“Um...Karna, I wanted to thank you, again, for what you said the other day,” he leaned in to the soft sound of her voice, “I still feel...I really, really wish she had given me a swimsuit that was more covering, but I haven't felt quite so awkward since then,” she gave a slight laugh, “Tamamo got a t-shirt, why didn't I? But...” with a shake of her head, she sighed, “I know you can't understand it, but even though I'm a Master, I'm still a _girl,_ surrounded by other girls who are _so_ beautiful that their being beautiful is ingrained into their legends as Heroic Spirits to the point where it's intrinsic to their personality. It's hard to not feel, um...a little inferior.”

“I see...I can follow the line of logic,” he closed his eyes, “Regardless, I stand by what I said.”

Ritsuka laughed, “Someone like Marie is right there, a girl known for being a gorgeous and kindhearted princess, and I'm still first, huh?”

“Yes.”

...It had been a rhetorical question.

She was caught off-guard by just how quickly and bluntly he responded to it, and the tips of her ears grew hot.

“...oh.”

Ritsuka bit into her lip, hesitating, before she scooted herself over to him in the sand, close enough that she could lean her head on his shoulder.

“Hey, Karna...I'm really glad you're here with me,” she murmured. Had she gotten any closer, she may have been able to hear how fitful the beat of his heart was.

Neither spoke, just the gentle sounds from the push and pull of the ocean waves echoing through the night. As he heard her breathing begin to even out, he tilted his head against her own as he looked out towards the horizon, the sun fully gone and the moon shining its light down upon them.

***

_“Ohhh...”_

Ritsuka and Tamamo let out simultaneous, pleased moans as they sank into the outdoor bath, hot water soothing their muscles, tired from the constant need to gather materials for Scáthach's runes. The amenities they had been making were an incredible boon, but it didn't mean that the actual work needed to get them made was at all easy.

“It's so nice to be in an open air bath again...”

Ritsuka sighed as she sunk lower still, just before the nape of her neck hit the water. She could hear Tamamo's tail swishing water as it twitched happily.

“Master, thank you _so_ much for picking my idea...”

“How could I _not?_ It's been ages since I've been in one of these, I had to take the chance.”

Insects chirped in the foliage surrounding them, a light wind coming through and rustling the leaves of the trees spread around the hot spring. Ritsuka closed her eyes and could feel all the stress in her body begin to melt away as she sunk lower and lower into the water.

“Hmm~♥” Tamamo hummed, and opened one eye to look at Ritsuka, “You kiss Karna yet?”

Ritsuka could feel all the stress in her body return threefold as her eyes snapped open.

She had sunken down to just below her nose, inhaling some water in her surprised haste to defend herself, standing up and coughing her lungs out while trying and failing to say the word “no”.

“Y—You almost made me drown...” she glared at Tamamo, “And _no! I haven't!”_

“We are on the ultimate summer vacation! There has _never_ been a better time!” she huffed, “He carried you back to our little base camp last night because you fell asleep on him—again! _Ugh!_ The amount of romantic potential this island has— _squandered_ by the two of you!” Tamamo pulled at Ritsuka's cheeks, “Ooh, would you just tell him already?!”

“Nooooo...!” she grabbed at Tamamo's hands, “No! I'm going to keep being a coward because if he turns me down then everything is gonna get _really weird!”_

“Are you stupid?! You _really_ think he'd turn you down?! What Servant have you summoned that's more loyal than him?”

“Wh—I don't want him to like me back out of _servitude!_ That's messed up!” the color drained from Ritsuka's face, aghast at what Tamamo had said, “And even _without_ all that, I also summoned his _brother,_ you know, the one who killed him and hates him and—look, I _just_ got Arjuna to start being friendly with me, how fast do you think _that_ will tank if I start sleeping with Karna?!”

Hand over her mouth, Tamamo gave a devilish laugh, “Ohoho~! I never mentioned anything besides confession—it seems you've been drawing some conclusions of your own, Master! Very bold of you to fantasize about something _you know nothing about!”_

 _“Augh!”_ Ritsuka's face was a vibrant shade of red, “Stop! _Stop it! **You awful fox!”**_

“Mm, it's amazing how loud you two are,” their arguing died down as both turned to see Scáthach come up to join them, long hair wrapped in a towel, and she slipped into the hot water, “I imagine the whole island knows by now, Ritsuka—though most of us already knew, anyway.”

Ritsuka covered her face with her hands.

“Nnnhhh...”

Scáthach leaned back, elbows resting on the stone surrounding the hot springs, “But really, I honestly don't know why you haven't said something by now, either. It seems you are the only one who doesn't see the way he looks at you,” with a sigh, she turned her attention to Tamamo, “Caster—er, Lancer, you saw his face when she stepped out in her swimsuit, correct?”

“Yup!” Tamamo winked, “He may as well have had hearts for eyes ♥!”

She and Scáthach shared a laugh, to Ritsuka's consternation.

“Look, I—I didn't pick your idea for a bath just so you could bully me, you know,” Ritsuka huffed, pointing at Tamamo.

 _“Hmph!”_ the high bun that Tamamo's hair was in jiggled slightly as she fell back against the edge of the bath, “...Had to fall for the one guy who can't take a hint to save his life. This would all be so much easier if he didn't have the social skills of a rock.”

“Well...it could be worse,” Scáthach's voice was deadly serious, “...At least it isn't Fionn.”

Tamamo made a disgusted face and Ritsuka looked mildly nauseated.

“I...I appreciate all of the Servants I have summoned,” Ritsuka said, “That's...all I'm going to say on the matter.”

She stepped out of the bath once soaked to her satisfaction, slipping her swimsuit back on and stretching her back and arms. Ritsuka pulled her hair out of the bun it was in, letting it fall freely past her shoulders, scrunchie snapping firmly around her wrist.

“Jeez...you really only gave me a swimsuit to wear, huh?” she gave Scáthach a disgruntled look, “Could you at least make me a cover or something? It gets chilly at night.”

“I'll do it tomorrow,” Scáthach waved her off, “You'll be fine for tonight. We have blankets.”

“Alright, well, I'm not quite tired yet so I'm gonna go take a walk down to the beach and see if I can find any cool shells to give to Mash.”

The sound of the ocean had tempered to a dull roar as she walked along the shoreline, her time mostly spent leaning down and being disappointed at the half-chipped shells poking out of the sand. With a click of her tongue, she began to stand up after another disappointing find, but her eyes widened as she saw a hermit crab tipped over in the sand, its legs wiggling as it tried to right itself. She crouched down and carefully placed it upright with both hands.

“There you go,” it scuttled back to the beach, and she followed it until it was out of her vision.

“Master?”

She peered up, and blinked, seeing Karna not far away from her.

“Oh!” she stood to full height, and met him halfway, “What are you doing out here so late?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.”

“Well...I'm not really that tired, so I decided to take a walk and look for any shells to give to Mash,” she sighed, “I haven't really found any cool ones yet, they're all mostly broken-off chunks at best,” a gust of wind passed through, rustling her hair, and her skin prickled as she looked out towards the sea, “Cold...Scáthach said she'd make me a bathing suit cover tomorrow, but that doesn't do much for me right now.”

She felt the heat of his cape on her shoulders mere moments after she mentioned how cold she was, and she smiled at him warmly, a light flush dusting her cheeks.

“That should help against the cold.”

Ritsuka tugged it in closer and nodded, “It—It does. Um...wanna walk with me?”

He gave a short nod, and followed at her easy pace. Her shoulder bumped against his as they walked along the soft sand.

“You know, being on this island...this is the first time I've been able to actually get any sort of relaxation in a long time. There are a few...very large, angry crabs around, but they're not exactly difficult for any of you to deal with,” she stared out towards the horizon, “Chaldea is very clinical, and I can't exactly go relaxing in the singularities. The simulator is my best bet, but...even that, you're in there knowing it's all fake—oh,” she bit down on her lip, “Sorry, I'm starting to ramble, aren't I?”

“There's no need for you to apologize. I don't mind.”

She stayed quiet for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

“...It feels awful saying this...I know we're supposed to be working on finding our way off this place and back to Chaldea, but...” she looked up at the night sky, “You know, it's been _so_ nice that the things I'm immediately worried about are “do I pick X or Y's idea to build the thing that makes our situation more comfortable” and not “do I have this rayshift planned out well enough that I've reduced the chances of everyone getting hurt as much as I can”. I...I almost don't want to leave,” her hair gently blew in the direction of the wind as she stopped walking and looked at him, eyes large and worried, “...Does that make me a bad person?”

“No,” his fingertips touched the shell of her ear as he brushed her hair out of her face, “There's only so much the human mind can take. You are under immense pressure as the last Master of humanity. You're also an inexperienced mage thrown into life or death situations constantly, with no actual combat training. The fact that you've made it this far without having a nervous breakdown is staggering.”

“That...” she started slowly, “...That's not...inspiring confidence...” she stayed confused for a moment as she looked at him, “Are you anticipating me having a nervous breakdown soon, or something?”

“I—.” Karna grimaced, “...I apologize. That's not...”

There was a brief pause, before she shook her head and breathed out a short laugh, a fond smile appearing on her face.

“Okay. Let me try and help you out,” she held his cape closed with one hand, and reached down, hesitating for a moment, before taking his hand in hers, “What you're _trying_ to say, I think, is that you think it's amazing that I've been so mentally resilient even though for all intents and purposes I'm just a regular human with sub-par abilities as a mage that's never seen a day of fighting in her life before all this started.”

“That—Yes,” he let out a quiet sigh of relief, and returned her smile as he squeezed her hand, “That's correct.”

“I've gotten pretty good at figuring out what you're trying to say! As a Mage, I can't use magecraft _at all,_ but I can at least tell you're not trying to insult me anymore.”

“I'll take that as a victory.”

She began to walk again, and their hands stayed clutched together, “...I honestly don't know how I'd be able to keep going if I didn't have all of you here with me. You all do more than just protect me,” she linked her fingers with his, and spoke in a low murmur, “...You're really special to me.”

He closed his eyes, trying to will away the tightness in his chest as her words registered, as he felt the pressure of her thin fingers slotted between his.

“...Master,” he held overwhelming affection in his eyes as he looked at her, “I will do anything you need me to.”

Ritsuka smiled back, and squeezed his hand.

“I know, Karna. Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Well...this watermelon is pretty good, at least.” Ritsuka spit out a seed, “Too bad Artoria had to use mana burst and destroy a solid chunk of perfectly good melons.”

“A—At least the wheat field is coming in nicely?” Mash laughed nervously.

“It _better_ be,” Ritsuka shook her head, grumbling, “Planting that wheat was her punishment for ruining those watermelons, after all,” she could see someone approaching out of the corner of her eye, and she looked up to see Tamamo, parasol spinning in her hands, “Yo Casko, want some watermelon? In spite of what Artoria did, we still have some left over.”

Tamamo hummed, joining the two of them in sitting down at one of the outdoor tables they had made at their base camp.

“I had my fill earlier, but thank you for the offer, Master ♥” Tamamo placed her chin in her hand, and sighed, “Though it's somewhat disappointing that we can't have them chilled...”

“I know, right? At least they're still really juicy. And I'm glad I managed to bully _shishou_ into making a salt shaker; if I can't have it chilled, I should at least be able to salt it.”

Two spare melons sat on the ground near Ritsuka, and Tamamo pursed her lips as she peered over at them.

“It would be a shame to let those go to waste though...” Tamamo's ears perked up, “Ah! I bet the boys would _love_ to have some.”

Ritsuka and Mash glanced at each other.

“That's a good idea, actually,” Ritsuka finished up her watermelon slice, looking at Tamamo, “Wanna come with?”

“Ooh, I'm sorry, Master, but I have several hours of laying in the sun looking gorgeous to attend to.”

Ritsuka rolled her eyes as she stood from the wooden chair, “Alright, well, enjoy yourself,” she gave a grunt as she leaned down and picked up one of the watermelons, “Wow these are heavy...I think I got it, though. Mash, can you get the salt—oh cool, you got it before I said anything! Nice, let's go.”

The waves rolled with the tide, crashing against the shore as the two of them walked along the beach towards the side the male Servants tended to congregate by, each holding a melon in their arms—plus a salt shaker tucked in Mash's jacket pocket.

“Hey Backspear Boys! And Kojirou,” Ritsuka switched to carrying the melon in one arm as she gave them a big wave, and all of their heads perked up as they saw the two approaching, “We grew some watermelons, you guys want some?”

Cú jumped up to his feet from where he'd been lounging, and did a light jog over to Ritsuka, glancing at the fruit, then back at the girls, “Hey, those look real good,” he took both from the two girls, holding one in each hand, “Thanks, Master. Wanna join us?”

Ritsuka turned at Mash, who shrugged, and she smiled at Cú, “Sure, I can always go for more food.”

As the two girls made their way across the sand, the boys meeting them halfway, she saw Karna squinting at the salt shaker in Mash's jacket pocket.

“Master,” he regarded her curiously, “What is the salt for?”

Ritsuka furrowed her eyebrows at him, both taken aback and mildly offended.

“You're kidding, right?” Karna shook his head, and the color drained from Ritsuka's face, _“What.”_

She turned around, hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking. Mash began to fret over her.

“S—Senpai, are you...are you okay?” she whispered.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she nodded, “Y—Yeah...” she whispered back, before taking in a deep breath, “It's alright...I have to accept that even he has flaws.”

“Uh,” as she turned back around, she saw Cú looking confused, rubbing the back of his head, “I've never had it that way either, so...”

Ritsuka was positively scandalized, and only grew more distressed as Kojirou, Fionn, and Diarmuid murmured their agreements.

“Besides,” Cú started, “I'm pretty sure none of us had _either_ of these things readily available to us when we were alive.”

“Well—Okay, that makes sense, but _still,”_ she pointed at Kojirou, who blinked, and pointed at himself, “Alright, boys! Let's get these things cut! I'm about to blow your minds!”

Kojiro's sword made short work of the melons, splitting them perfectly evenly, and Ritsuka passed a piece to each Servant.

“Okay, these are better when they're chilled, but it's still going to taste really good,” the male Servants looked at her with rapt attention, “Take the salt and just kind of get it all over the piece of watermelon, it brings out all the flavor and makes it taste _so_ much better.”

She tossed the salt shaker to Cú, who then passed it along until it was back in Ritsuka's hands once again.

“Just for the record, I didn't know about this either, Senpai,” Mash's face turned pink, and she quickly began to smooth over what she said when she saw Ritsuka's wide-eyed stare at her, “I—I'm sorry, I didn't want to say anything! It really does taste better, though!”

“...It's alright, Mash,” Ritsuka placed her hand on Mash's shoulder, “I forgive you.”

“This—.” she looked up as she saw Cú nodding as he bit into it, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “Damn, wow, yeah, you're _absolutely_ right.”

As the rest of the men voiced their agreements, and with a smug expression on her face, Ritsuka met the hand Mash held up for her in a victorious high-five.

The two melons had been reduced to nothing but rind quickly between the seven of them, and Mash had graciously offered to rid the food waste for them, heading back to their base camp while Ritsuka stayed, nibbling on one of the last pieces of melon.

She felt someone sit down next to her, and she looked over to see Karna meeting her eyes.

“May I sit here?”

“Hm? Yeah, of course,” she grinned at him, “I'm glad I could show you something new today.”

Karna narrowed his eyes, “Ah, you've got...” he touched his thumb to just below her lip, wiping away a small bit of melon and licking his thumb clean, “There was a small piece on your face.”

Ritsuka could hear her heart pounding in her ears as the color red rapidly overtook her face.

“...th...thanks...” she just barely got the word out, before she turned her head away from him, flustered.

“Are you all right?”

Ritsuka nodded just a little too hard, and took in a deep breath before speaking, somewhat shakily, “Yeah! I'm good!”

She finished her watermelon, licking the juice off her fingers. Her eyes traced downwards, and she saw his hand resting on the ground, nearly touching her own, and she felt her heart thumping wildly as she gently placed her smaller hand on top of his. Without changing his relaxed expression, he linked his fingers with hers like it was something he'd done hundreds of times before, and she felt a warmth in her chest, her lips curling into a smile.

“That watermelon was very good,” he began, “I look forward to learning more things from you in the future.”

Ritsuka laughed weakly, “Karna, I—I think you might be expecting a bit too much from me.”

He was quiet for a moment, contemplative, “Though I was given common knowledge about this era when I was summoned, my knowledge of cultures other than my own is lacking—and even then, the land I lived is barely the same as what it used to be,” he paused, “Before it was incinerated, obviously.”

“Obviously,” she chuckled, “I wouldn't exactly call myself cultured...unless you want to know everything there is to know about the Mobile Suit Gundam series...hmm...you still haven't had 100% made-from-scratch ramen at Chaldea, have you?” Karna shook his head, “That settles it, then! When we get back to Chaldea I'll make you some, and by that, I mean I'll ask Emiya to help me make you some where he'll end up doing most of the work.”

She brought her other hand up, holding out her pinkie. Karna was utterly lost as he looked down.

“...Am I supposed to do something?”

“It's a pinkie promise. When you make one with somebody else it means you can't break your promise, no matter what. Hold out your other hand the same way I am.”

He hesitated, but did so.

“Okay, now wrap your finger around mine—like that, yeah,” she cleared her throat, _“Pinkie promise, if I lie, I will swallow a hundred needles and cut my pinkie!_ There, it's sealed.”

A deadly serious look was on his face as he pulled his hand back, “If something happens and you are unable to fulfill your promise, there's no need to swallow that many needles. There's no need to swallow _any_ needles.”

She let out a snort, and a laugh followed soon after, “It's just a dumb childhood chant! I won't go swallowing any needles, it's just what you say when you make the promise, don't worry.”

“I see...”

Ritsuka hummed, and kept her gaze on him. His eyebrows furrowed as she continued to stare, almost as if she was trying to figure out how to go about doing something. Karna blinked, keeping perfectly still as she reached her hand up, cautious, her cheeks turning pink as she gently brushed his hair out of his eyes, and he shivered as her nails scratched against his scalp.

“O—Oh, I'm...” she snatched her hand back, horribly embarrassed, “I'm sorry, I...I wanted to get your hair out of your face.”

“Is my face so interesting?”

“Hey, you—you do it to me!” she averted her gaze away from him, “So I...”

He squeezed her hand, a smile on his lips.

“...No, I apologize. It felt nice. I...cannot remember the last time somebody has ran their hands through my hair like that...my mother, maybe, when I was a child.”

A beat passed, and Ritsuka sat up straighter as an idea hit her. Her ears turning bright red, she broke the hold of their hands, cleared her throat, and patted her thighs.

“W...Well...why don't you...l—lay down and, and I'll...”

She stared at him expectantly, for about half a second, before her embarrassed gaze went to the ground as she bit into her bottom lip. He sat motionless for a moment, then gave a little sigh as a fond look appeared on his face.

“...Understood, Master.”

His head settled on her soft thighs, one of his knees bending as he laid down. He could feel the nervousness in her body gradually abate, and his eyelids fluttered closed as her fingers began to sift through his hair.

“It...It feels nice to be able to do something for you for a change,” her right hand reached for Karna's left, and their fingers intertwined, “How many times have I fallen asleep on you?”

“I stopped keeping count after the twentieth time.”

“Well,” he could her the smile in her voice, “It's about time for you to start to even the score, _Karna-chi.”_

She heard his breath hitch slightly as her nails ran against his scalp, and his hand twitched in hers.

“Just for once...let me take care of you,” her voice was a gentle, lilting murmur, “Okay?”

Those words were the last thing he heard, and a pair of soft lips against his forehead was the last thing he felt, before he had the best rest so far during his tenure as Ritsuka's Servant.

***

Their nightly walks on the beach quickly became a routine for the two of them. She would let one of the girls know where she was going, be mercilessly teased, and then head for the beach to wait for him along the shoreline as he came from _wherever_ the boys were going at night.

As he began his way towards her, he stopped to marvel at her for a moment; each night, it seemed her hair was styled in a way that made her look more beautiful than she did the day before. Tonight, a handful of blue, pink, and white flowers were stuck in the bun of her hair a la decorative pins, popping out brightly even as the light of the moon washed out the vibrant orange of her hair. It took him a moment before he realized he was staring.

She was looking out towards the ocean, arms crossed over her chest. In spite of Scáthach making her a cover, as requested, it was sheer, and thin, only barely going down to her mid-thighs. He couldn't help but continuously voice his doubt about its ability to protect her from the cold.

“...I'm sorry, but that can't be warm enough,” he said as he met her on the shoreline.

Ritsuka jumped as he finally stood before her, and she gave a slight laugh as she turned to him, “It is! It really is! Rune magic is just like that I guess,” she uncrossed her arms, “...I still haven't been able to find any good shells to give to Mash. You're coming with me, right?”

She asked as if she was giving him a choice—as if it was even the reason for what they were doing—but she was already reaching for his hand, and he was already taking hers as they began their slow, memorized route along the shoreline. Ritsuka wasn't even looking down to see if there were any shells.

“You know, during the first few nights we were here, I was having a lot of trouble getting to sleep, but after I started taking these walks with you every night, it's been helping a lot.”

He gently squeezed her hand, “That's good.”

“I usually don't have this much trouble sleeping at Chaldea though. It could be the change in scenery...? The girls can get kind of rowdy at night, too. There's eleven of us, compared to your five,” she sighed, “We didn't exactly set a good layout for our little base camp, either, everything's just kind of set randomly,” her grip on his hand tightened, “...And it...it could be because I—I keep thinking about the singularity I still have to repair while I'm laying in bed at night. Doing this seems to help clear my mind about it...”

“It is the final one.”

She bit into her lip.

“I—I know, but...I don't know how long it's going to take, and given how much time we've spent on this island...even before we left, they were still having trouble getting the precise coordinates because of how unstable the B.C era is to rayshift to.”

He glanced at her, and was able to see just how exhausted she looked. Even after she had returned from London, looking the worst he'd ever seen, battered and defeated and insulted by Solomon, she was still able to look forward and stay determined. The toll everything was taking on her was becoming almost impossible to hide.

“If you were able to take a direct attack from Solomon and come out relatively unscathed, you will undoubtedly be able to face whatever lies ahead.”

Ritsuka came to a gradual stop, her body angled towards him, her face stony, as she gripped his hand tighter.

“Karna, I want you to speak freely,” the commanding tone of her voice slipped almost instantly, becoming quiet and unsure, “...do you think I can do this...?”

For a moment, he was quiet. Being asked to “speak freely” was the exact opposite of a common occurrence for him, but he would do his best.

“...How you've managed to make it as far as you have, I have no idea. It may as well be a miracle. More often than not, you only avoid severe injury or death due to sheer luck. And because of your lacking abilities as a Mage, you're forced to stay in midst of battle to be able to give your Servants proper support, leading them to take direct injuries to protect you.”

She bit her lip and nodded, but turned away in shame.

“...But you are constantly pulling in allies,” he gently tilted her head back towards him, fingers lifting her chin up, “You make us want to fight for you. You've only been a Master for a short period of time, but you are constantly improving—with each completed singularity, you have only gotten stronger,” he closed his eyes for a moment, before they opened tenderly, “I have never doubted you. You'll always have my support, Master.”

Ritsuka's eyes began to water as she looked at him, her lower lip quivering as she smiled.

Her other arm wrapped around his back, and he pulled her in against him, arm curling around her waist as she rested her cheek on his chest.

“Thank you...”

“I know you're tired,” his forehead tilted down to rest against the top of her head, “But you will persevere.”

“...Jeez...you've really just gone above and beyond for me since the very beginning,” she mumbled, barely loud enough for him to hear, before she chuckled, “...Really, since the very start. Right after I summoned you I got that awful flu and you took care of me even though you hardly knew me.”

“I did what any of your other Servants would've done for you.”

She let out a loud snort, and met his eyes as her chin rested on his chest, “Oh, like Jalter? If I got sick I would get the “it's not like I like you or anything” special from her while she tells me how lame and pathetic I am. _And!”_ she poked him, “You look me in the eye and tell me Gilgamesh would do _anything_ for me when I get sick besides to just, like...tell me to not cough in the air he breathes.”

He closed his eyes, exhaling out in a short laugh.

“...Almost any of your other Servants.”

“AUO even likes me now! He's treating me the way he treats people he _likes,_ isn't that sad. Most of the time I feel like a glorified squire to him. Even Ozymandias has taken me on rides on his sphinxes _...and_ let me play with the cubs _..._ ” she smirked, “But, you know, at least watching him and CasGil snipe at each other is _really_ funny. Poor Enkidu...but...it's still _really funny.”_

“I've had to help defuse things between them multiple times...really, it makes my relationship with Arjuna seem tame in comparison. At least we've yet to actually point our weapons at each other, let alone our Noble Phantasms.”

“Hey, you two finally managed to reach the point of “strained politeness” after months of just actively avoiding each other. Things could still work out!”

“Your optimism is admirable, Master,” he said, and he smiled down at her, “Really...you...”

He trailed off, going silent. Karna's hand broke off from hers, fingers brushing a few loose strands of hair off her face, before he cupped her head in his hands. She went wide-eyed and stupefied, arms hanging limply by her sides as he stared down at her, his features relaxing into a loving gaze the more time he spent looking at her. The tide came in, and the sea foam just missed the edges of their feet.

“...You really are something.”

His lips touched against her forehead, lingering. He was slow to pull back, but when he did, he saw the moon and the stars reflected in her eyes.

“Karna...”

His thumbs stroked against the blush on her cheeks.

“I will always stand behind you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes as she pulled him down. His hands settled on the small of her back and in the back of her hair, eyes slowly closing as he felt nothing but her warmth against him.

“Karna...I'm so glad I summoned you,” her voice was soft, “I promise...I won't let you down. I won't let any of you down.”

He held her against him as tightly as he could.

“...There's no need to say so. I already know.”

***

“ _Heeeyy!”_

Karna opened his eyes and glanced up as he sat beneath the shade of a palm tree in silent reflection. Ritsuka kicked up sand as she ran to him, waving her arms to get his attention. His immediate notice went to the two twintails her hair had been styled into, the ends curling in towards her chin, with another unidentifiable tropical flower tucked behind her ear. When he remembered to start breathing again, he tore his eyes away from her, face slightly flush.

She was leaned over, catching her breath when she was finally in front of him, her twintails swaying back and forth slightly, the flower drooping from her ear.

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh...” with a shake of her head, she stood up straight and wiped the sweat off of her brow, “No, not really. Um...it's just...Marie and Tamamo are trying to get a game of beach volleyball going. It was gonna be 4v4, boys versus girls, but nobody can find Kojirou...” she bit her lip, and nervously fiddled with her hands, “Would you be willing to join in?”

“Yes. I will.”

She pumped her fists, “Yes! Awesome!”

Ritsuka took his hands in hers and helped lift him off the ground, her fingers squeezing his for just a moment as he stood over her. Though she tried to pull back, he kept his grip on her for just a moment longer as he stared at her face. One of his hands let go to touch at one of her twintails, running his fingers along the curve of it.

“They're charming.”

“What—?”

He fully let go of her hands, not explaining _anything,_ and began to walk the direction she came from, leaving her grasping at her hair, a confused, blushing mess.

Tamamo gave him a little wave as she finished up drawing the makeshift court lines in the sand with her umbrella, before she helped Marie properly place the heavy net.

“Oh, fantastic!” Marie said, finally noticing him and clapping her hands together, “They'll be able to have a match now!”

Karna turned his head as he felt someone pat him on the shoulder, seeing Cú standing behind him, “I wasn't really interested in playing at first but then Mordred started talking trash. Fionn got pissed about it, too, and dragged Diarmuid in, because of course he did. Sorry you _also_ got dragged in, but let's kick their asses.”

He gave Cú a nod.

“I shall tear up the court—rather, the sand—in a decisive victory.”

Ritsuka finally made her way back as the teams began to congregate on the court, tugging lightly on one of her twintails. Her eyes quickly flicked down to the ground when she saw Karna looking at her, and he watched the tips of her ears turn red as she turned her head away entirely.

Mordred leaned to spit in the sand, and punched the palm of her hand as the corner of her mouth pulled into a cocky smirk, “Ha! Just a bunch of punk Lancers looking to get their asses kicked, huh? I may not be a Saber right now but I don't need class advantage when I have all the skill in the world.”

“Pretty bold words from someone with an old hag on your side!” Cú grinned, a little feral.

Body tense, brow visibly twitching in rage, and her heel grinding down into the sand, the smile Scáthach had on her face was just barely covering her fury.

“Ah, Sétanta. You have quite the audacity to be as prideful as you are, given that you are a _dead man.”_

“Oh Lord, I beseech unto you...” Martha murmured behind Scáthach, gently grasping at her cross, head down in piety, “Grant me your blessing to allow me to punish these men for their hubris,” she scowled up at the men, and pointed at them, “Alright, _assholes!_ You're all goin' down!”

“My, my,” Fionn had a smug grin on his face, “I shall offer you my forgiveness as King should you all beg for it! It will surely be a less humiliating end for the lot of you.”

“H—Hey! You're...” Mordred's cheeks went a little red and she turned around to see Artoria regarding the game with, at best, mild disinterest, “You—You're not even the best King here!”

Kiyohime was entirely oblivious to the trash talk going on, a fiery determination burning in her eyes, “Master, just watch me! I'll put all my love and devotion for you into winning this game!”

Ritsuka laughed nervously, looking back and forth between the two teams. The only two people not saying anything were Diarmuid, who was standing in the back with Fionn and making distracted noises of agreement whenever prompted, and Karna, who seemed to be actively disassociating entirely.

“Please don't...kill each other...”

She scanned the beach, and saw the other female Servants watching the match from a distance. Relief washed over her as she saw Mash, and she jumped up to return the wave that was being given to her. As she turned her attention back to the game, seeing Tamamo and Marie finally about to start things, she noticed Tamamo looking at her with a glint in her eye, and Ritsuka instantly felt suspicious. Tamamo cupped her hand over her mouth and leaned into Marie, whispering something; Marie looked at her curiously once she pulled back, and gave her a shrug.

“Okay Okay~♥! It's time to get things rolling!” Tamamo clapped, finally quieting everyone down and focusing their attention on her, “Now, I'm assuming everyone knows the rules? First team to 25 points wins, and there must be a two point difference between the two teams' scores,” her expression slipped from pleasant to unimpressed, “And I shouldn't even _have_ to say this, but _no Noble Phantasms!”_ she shook her head, “Now, your referees will be myself, the lovely Tamamo-chan, and Miss Marie~! We'll know if any of you are cheating, so _don't!”_ she smiled cutely, her tail swishing back and forth as she threatened the lot of them.

“C'mon, let's get goin' already!” Mordred clicked her tongue impatiently.

“Ah, hold on! Just one last thing before we start!” a nervous pit in Ritsuka's stomach started to swirl as Tamamo side-eyed her, “To make things a _liiiiittle_ bit more interesting, you'll also be competing against your own team! Whoever has the most _individual_ points at the end of the match will get to spend the rest of the day all alone with Master☆!”

Ritsuka held her hands up and took a step back.

“Wait, what—.”

There was a flurry of intense murmuring between the Servants, and all eyes turned to her.

“Oh?” Scáthach smirked, “I hope you're prepared for some intense training, Ritsuka. We need to make you into the proper Celtic soldier, after all.”

“Hey,” Cú said, pointing two fingers at his eyes, then at Ritsuka, “I'm winning that, so be prepared to spend the rest of the day learning how to fish. You're getting the hang of it if it kills me.”

“ _Master!”_ Kiyohime could not have looked any happier, _“I will not fail you! Our love will prevail above all!”_

Almost all of the Servants began to eagerly tell her all their plans they had in store for her for the rest of her day when they won the challenge; the challenge that she had not agreed at _all_ to participate in.

“I—I didn't—What—?”

Ritsuka began to panic, and instinctively looked towards Karna in her fear, silently pleading for help. His eyes widened slightly, before a sobering expression spread over his face, and he gave her a single, firm nod before shifting his focus entirely towards the game.

“Is everyone ready?” Tamamo held her parasol above her, giving herself and Marie some shade as the court gave cheerful affirmations, “Then let's begin ♥!”

Martha was the first to serve, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she concentrated, and she sent the ball hurtling through the air. The second it passed over the net to the boys' side, Karna jumped up and spiked it down, a resounding _'crack'_ echoing in the air as his palm slammed into it. The speed and force at which he hit it led to it forming a crater several feet deep in the sand, sending a tremor through the ground so strong that even the girls who were watching the game from several yards away had stunned looks on their faces as they felt the ground shake. Dozens of flocks of birds scattered from the treetops, the booming noise that the ball had made on impact reverberating in the air until it faded out to be replaced with the distressed squawking of several hundred birds.

Ritsuka's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and her head snapped up to look at him in disbelief. His face was as unflappable and stoic as always as he gave her a thumbs up.

Marie had joined everybody else in the new group activity of “stare in stunned silence at the crater in the ground”, but beside her, Tamamo simply spun her parasol with a cheerful smile on her face.

 _“Mikooon~!_ One point for the Backspear Boys!”

***

“Hey,” Cú said, “I have a question. Why did we even have a team?”

They stared at the girls' side of the court which may as well not have existed given the amount of black, volleyball-sized craters that decimated it. The girls had separated as soon as the game was (almost instantly) called, with Mordred in particular gazing solemnly out at the ocean, looking like she was having an existential crisis.

“In all fairness,” Diarmuid said, glancing up at Karna, who was receiving a dainty high-five from Tamamo, “I feel we should have expected this outcome.”

Marie clasped her hands together, and laughed extremely nervously, “C—Congratulations...!”

He gave Marie a nod, before looking at Tamamo, sighing. She was attempting to seem as overtly innocent as possible.

“Judging by how nervous she was when you revealed the “special prize”,” Karna started, his eyes closing in exasperation, “I assume you didn't tell her you had planned that.”

“Whoops!” Tamamo knocked her fist on her head, “Silly me! You know how forgetful I can be~☆”

“...Do I?”

Her grin faltered, and she had a strange, somewhat sad look in her eye that took him off-kilter.

“Ah...right...” she smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes.

“Are you—.”

“Oh, it's not important!” she interrupted him, waving her hand to stop from whatever he was going to say, “Well, it's up to you two to figure out what you want to do now, so,” she gave him a shooing motion and closed her umbrella as Marie began to walk away, swinging it around by the handle as she began to follow.

Ritsuka stood just across the field of volleyball craters, and he stepped between the holes as he made his way over to her. As she saw him approach, she looked down at what had previously been sand, then back up at him.

“I...appreciate what you did, but did you have to spike _every_ ball?”

He scanned the ground.

“...I may have been somewhat overzealous,” he shook his head, “That doesn't matter. I spoke to Tamamo—it seems that while I won the “bonus prize”, she did not seek your consent when she included it,” he placed his hand on her shoulder, a gentle expression on his face, “Master, you are under no obligation to spend your day with me if you don't want to.”

Her eyes widened in panic.

“No!” she grabbed for his other hand with both of hers, “It's—I would be fine doing that, though!” her voice cracked slightly in her haste to answer him, “...If you want to...”

He smiled, the hand on his shoulder going to touch at one of her twintails. The strands of her hair were soft between his fingers, and his hand dropped to grab for one of hers, bringing it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

“I have no complaints.”

She returned his smile, and her fingers intertwined with his as she led him into the forest.

The jungle had become moderately less dense than it had been when they first got there, given the sheer amount of materials they needed to collect for their amenities, but over-sized tropical plants still littered the island, and there were more than enough thick, canopy-topped trees to blot out the sun. The sheer amount of roots and brambles littering the forest floor, though, made it a bit difficult for Ritsuka to walk around properly, given how thick the wedges of her shoes were.

“Don't get me wrong about this, I'm happy that you, er, won— _ah,”_ he steadied her as she stumbled over yet another sprawling tree root, “But you...probably didn't need to go as hard as you did.”

He followed her as she jumped over a small stream.

“I didn't use any more strength than what I normally use in combat.”

She reached up as he helped her over a particularly large log.

“Ah,” Ritsuka nodded, stepping over a branch, “Well, that explains it. I guess we'll just have to avoid that part of the beach now. You did a pretty good job of annihilating it.”

“I see...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so reckless.”

“It—It's okay! I mean, it'll go back to normal eventually, right? And...I'm glad...I'm glad that I'm here with you right now,” the fresh forest air filled her lungs as she took in a deep breach and tried to will her heartbeat to slow down, “Who knows what Fionn would've had in store for me if he had won.”

They meandered along for a few more minutes before Ritsuka came to a slow stop. Narrowing her eyes, she stared up at a specific tree that stretched out high into the air, tall and thin, the bark more grayish than the medium brown sequoias around it. Karna touched her shoulder as she continued to stay quiet.

“...Is there something wrong?”

“No it's just...” she looked closer, “I can't tell if—no, yeah, it is! That _is_ a coconut tree; I haven't been able to find any around here—they all seem to be in the forest behind our base camp. This is such a weird area for it but. _..finally..._ I don't have to haul all the way back if I want to drink something other than plain water.”

He followed behind her as she crossed over a small, steady stream, standing at the base of the tree with her arms crossed, squinting. After an extended moment of silence, he looked at her.

“Do you want me to—.”

“Hm?” she blinked, “Oh, no no no,” with a confident grin, she stretched her arms and popped her joints, and slipped off her sandals, “Check _this_ out.”

Karna watched as she held onto the tree tightly with one hand, properly gained her footing, and began to ascend.

As genuinely astounding as it was that she was able to climb it, he couldn't help but clench his fists as tightly as possible to prevent his hands from shaking as she went higher and higher up. He was able to keep his eye on her, up until she was obscured by the long, heavy palm fronds that hung over her at the very top. The leaves shook back and forth, and he could hear her make an annoyed noise, saying _“come on...”,_ until finally, two coconuts fell to the ground with one _thump_ after the other, landing right near the base of the tree.

“Hey!” she yelled down, and he could just barely see the skin of her leg, “You got me, right?”

“...What?”

His heart jumped up into his throat as he watched her arms and legs slip off of the tree, her body plummeting to the ground. Before she could get hurt in the slightest, he managed to catch her, holding her just a little tighter than he normally would have as she fell into his arms, landing with an _“oof”._

When he pulled back to look at her, his pulse like a jackhammer, she was grinning from ear to ear and her fingers made a wide V for Victory. At some point during her rapid descent, the flower that was behind her ear had fallen out.

“That was pretty awesome, right?! I saw Mary do it and it just looked _so cool_ that I asked her to show me how to do it, too. Being a pirate, they had to restock food _somehow_ , I guess,” her eyes gleamed, and she pumped her fists, “One day, I'll be able to get up high enough where I can pull off the bodyslam of the _century_ and hopefully not die doing it.”

“It was very impressive. Do not ever do that again.”

Her lips pulled down into a scowl, “Hey, I haven't broken any bones _yet!_ And I know perfectly well how to get down on my own, it was just faster this way,” she paused, “Though Mash _also_ hates it when I do that. She still always catches me, though.”

His breath came out shaking, “Master, I could have easily missed you.”

Ritsuka hummed, and reached up to smooth his hair out of his eyes and cup his face. His heart beat rapidly as he watched her in silence.

“Karna, I knew there was no way you wouldn't catch me.”

Ritsuka's hands, soft and warm, stayed pressed up against his jaw, her fingertips feather-light against his cheeks. His hands curled in tighter on her body as he pulled her in closer, letting himself be drawn in by the gentle warmth of her eyes and the playful curve of her lips.

“How could you ever think so little of yourself...” he spoke quietly, too quietly for her to properly hear.

“What?”

He didn't respond, instead bringing her close enough for their foreheads to touch. Though her skin had gained a light tan to it from their time on the island, the scarlet of her flush still came through on her cheeks easily, and the longer he looked at her, it only deepened in shade. Despite how flustered she was becoming, her eyes stayed locked with his.

Karna breathed in.

“Master—.”

“Ritsuka,” she interrupted him in a whisper; he could feel the heat of her voice against his lips, “M—My name is Ritsuka...”

His lips turned up into a slight smile.

“...Ritsuka.”

The glimmer in her eyes began to fade, and they became cloudy, distant, as he saw her mentally struggling with something. Her fingers moved from his face to run through his hair, and his breath caught in his throat as her nails gently scratched against his scalp. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, Ritsuka drew her hands away, and inhaled sharply.

“L—Let's...try that coconut, yeah? I did all that work to...to get it, so...”

He set her down on the ground, though his movements were reluctant, and she slipped back into her sandals. She grabbed one of the coconuts that had dropped down, and gave it to him with a light toss.

“Have you had one of these since we've been here?”

“No. I've never had one at all.”

“Time to change that,” she held the coconut in one hand, her other poised over it as if she was going to chop it, “Alright, I really wanted to try opening it this way since I saw Martha do it, so—.”

Karna immediately grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“...It's strange...I've never known another person whose ability to think quickly on their feet also applied to extremely bad ideas.”

_“Hey!”_

He let go of her wrist and took the coconut from her, one in the crook of his arm and one in his hand as he summoned his spear, “Martha was likely able to split it by hand due to her strength as a Servant and her skill at hand-to-hand combat. I'm no Archer; I don't posses Clairvoyance, but I predict your attempt at copying her would break your hand,” he stared at her evenly, “Sorry, but I'd rather you didn't do that.”

“Alright, jeez. Well, I saw Scáthach do it a different way than Martha did. When Martha split it, she spilled a bunch of water, but Scáthach just cut about...” she traced a line about a third of the way down the coconut, “About right there, I think, and just drank it all from a little hole.”

“Understood.”

He chopped the top off, and handed it to her, before doing the same to the one he had held in the crook of his own arm. She tipped her head back, drinking in every last drop, and some of the liquid dribbled down her chin before she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips as he looked at her, and his head tilted back as he drank his own.

“It's really tasty, right? We have plenty of water at our base but it gets tiresome drinking _just_ water, especially because it's not like I can get any soda here. But coconut water is really nice and sweet.”

“It is nice,” he licked his lips, “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

The smile she gave him was radiant, and his chest tightened.

They discarded the coconuts along the forest floor and continued to walk mostly aimlessly. The moment she reached for his hand, he had taken hers, their fingers linking together.

He picked her up and carried her along a fallen tree that acted as a bridge across a shallow pitfall, pulling her down off of it instantly as she attempted to get on it and cross it herself in her impractical wedge sandals. As he set her down on the other side, ignoring her grumbling that it wasn't _that_ dangerous, she _absolutely_ could've done it herself, _jeez,_ his eye caught on a large brush of white flowers, and he gravitated towards them. The complaints died on her lips as she noticed what he was doing, and she followed behind him.

“Oh, those are hibiscus flowers. The red and blue ones have been all over the island, but the white ones have been harder to find,” she took his hand in hers once more, “I didn't know there were a bunch of them this deep in the forest...is this where Anne gets them?”

Karna didn't respond, simply plucking one from the shrubbery and placing it back in her hair in one smooth movement. His fingers traced around the shell of her ear, looking down at her so fondly as his palm rested against her cheek.

“The one you that had earlier fell out. This can be its replacement.”

“O—Oh,” a blush began to spread across her face, “Um...thank you...” she bit her lip, “...Did you mean what you said earlier? About...” her fingers gave a light tug to one of her twintails.

“Yes,” he closed his eyes, somewhat amused, “I had no idea there were so many ways hair could look, and you seem to be aiming for all of them.”

“I can't do any of this myself, are you kidding?” she gave him a little pull as they started to walk again, “It's usually Tamamo or Anne; sometimes Marie, she was the one who did this today. I kept getting made fun of because I never change how I wear my hair, so I told them to just do it for me and then they...did,” she paused, “I wasn't really expecting it, honestly.”

“The flowers have been a nice touch.”

“Too bad I can't find one that doesn't wilt like the one in Scáthach's hair. How does she...” Ritsuka shook her head, “Doesn't matter. It has been kind of nice, though...I haven't spent time like this with other girls in...” she trailed off, “I...I don't even remember...”

He squeezed her hand.

“Well...it'll be nice while it lasts,” in spite of her attempt to sound cheerful, there was melancholy in the tone of her voice, “C'mon, we're getting to the part of the woods I haven't been to before.”

The sky gradually turned dark as they continued their slow pace around the woods, and the high treetops only made it look darker. A small flame appeared in the palm of Karna's hand, and he let go of Ritsuka's hand to wrap around her waist, bringing her in closer to him so she could better see. Her hands rested on his chest, her finger drawing circles around the red gem embedded in the center.

“I suppose I should be taking you back to your base camp now.”

She slowed down to a stop, eyes downcast, as she sighed.

“...Yeah, I guess,” the fire he held danced in her pupils as she glanced up at him, “Can we keep going just a little longer?”

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.

The overbearing darkness became less so as they came upon a clearing where the moon acted as a dull spotlight on the gently swaying blades of grass. Gnarled, twisted roots and full shrubs burst out of the cracks in the rock of the cliff that loomed over the area, cutting it in half, a thin waterfall pouring down into a large pool below. The stars reflected in the pool of water became warped, and wavy, as the ripples from the waterfall passed over the surface.

Ritsuka's eyes took in the clearing, passing over the whole area, until she saw a short, stocky, more tropical-looking tree that stuck out sharply against the sea of tall, thin cedars.

“Hey,” she pointed, “Can we go sit under that tree?”

He was torn.

It was extremely late. Mash was no doubt worried sick about Ritsuka still not being back with the rest of them yet, and it was entirely possible that there could be something hostile in the area they had been lucky to avoid up to this point.

But her eyes shined as the glow of the moon hit them, and she was looking up at him so expectantly.

His back pressed up against the tree, and she bit into her lip before settling between his legs, scooting until her back was against his chest. Breathing in deep, he wrapped his arm around her stomach, holding her securely. Her body fit against his perfectly.

The warmth of her hand sunk into his skin as she placed it on top of his own, her fingers curling around his.

“I guess this'll have to replace our beach walk for tonight,” her voice was light and airy as she laughed, “This area really is beautiful...I can't believe I haven't come across it before.”

She squeezed his hand.

“...Karna, can we stay here? Just for tonight...?”

He could think of a dozen reasons for why staying the night in a location they had never seen before now, a location that had so many hiding spots that anything could sneak up on them from anywhere, separated an unknown distance from any other help, would be a terrible idea.

“...If that's what you want, I will abide.”

She sighed quietly, almost sounding relieved.

“Thank you...”

Her body began to go slack against his, her head lolling against his chest. The flame in his palm went out, and his arm wrapped around her stomach as he pressed his face against her neck.

“Sleep well, Master.”

Her hand squeezed his, weakly.

“Mhm...” she let out a slow, drawn-out exhale, “This was such a nice date...”

His fingers clenched around her to keep himself from shaking.

“Goodnight, Ritsuka.”

She didn't respond, going limp against him.

He held her hand in his, thumb stroking along her palm, and through the night he watched as the moon's reflection slowly passed over the pond from one side to the other.

When the sun finally started to rise, a hue of warm, blue light replaced the soft glow of the moon that had blanketed the area. Ritsuka had slept soundly the entire night, barely stirring against him. With a long, deep breath, Karna began the careful process of picking her up, and carrying her back to her base camp.

He passed by the coconut tree she had previously climbed as he made his way out of the forest and towards the beach, the clouds in the sky blotting out the sun, the warm blue now dull and gray. His footprints sunk into the shoreline as the entrance to the girl's base camp started to become visible in the distance. He wasn't surprised to see Mash sitting at the base of a tree near the entrance, nor was he surprised at just how exhausted she looked, half-awake with dark circles under her eyes. The relief on her face was palpable as she saw him approaching with Ritsuka in his arms, and she swayed a little as she stood up.

“Oh, thank goodness...”

“I apologize,” his voice was barely louder than a whisper, “She insisted on staying out.”

“No, no, it's okay. She's not hurt, is she?”

“No. Just asleep.”

Mash led him to Ritsuka's cabin and opened the door for him. Her lodgings were small, and homely, with cozy looking furniture in warm, earthy colors neatly organized in a comfortable living space. Eyeing what looked like the door to a bedroom, he tapped it open with his foot, and he set her on top of her bed. He stood, unsure if he would be able to get her under her covers without disturbing her, before simply removing his cape to lay it over her.

As he began to take his leave, he felt himself tugged back.

Ritsuka had sat up, and was half-asleep, her eyes glassy as she grabbed him, his cape slipping off one of her shoulders, “...please don't go...”

He slowly turned around, and he felt her fingers squeeze his.

“...I'm sorry, but I can't stay.”

“Karna...need to tell you something...” she mumbled sleepily, urging him to come down to her level.

There was a moment of hesitation, before he knelt down at the edge of the bed, his breath catching in his throat as she leaned in and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. With a shaky exhale, he kissed the back of her hand, against her Command Spells, letting go to stand up before she was able to do anything else. He gently eased her back down on the bed, catching her by the wrist as she tried to reach for his face.

“Sleep well, Ritsuka,” Karna felt her weakly squeeze his hand, and he leaned down to brush her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead. She gave a content noise, and finally let go of him, falling back against her bed, asleep. He pulled his cape over her body, and she pressed her face closer against it in her sleep.

His fist clenched, before he was finally able to tear himself away from her, closing the door to her bedroom soundlessly as he took his leave.

***

“Ah! No no no nonono _nono_ —.”

Ritsuka wiggled in Cú's grip, trying to get out of the potato-sack hold he had her in as he carried her to the ocean. With a mighty grunt, he tossed her in, her surprised squeal abruptly ending as she went beneath the water with a loud splash. Ritsuka gulped for air as she popped back up, parting her hair out of her eyes.

“I got sea water in my lungs!” she complained.

“Hey, these were _your_ terms, and _you_ lost the bet. Don't go complaining when collection comes!”

Her ponytail drooped from the weight of the water, orange hair turning into more of a shade of burnt umber. Once back on the beach she flicked her fingers at Cú's face, little bits of water coming off her fingertips.

“Ugh!” she scowled at him as she wrung out her ponytail with her hands, “What kind of maniac just _swallows_ their food whole without chewing it?!”

Cú grinned, “The kind of maniac who wants to _win!”_

She batted at him as he ruffled her wet hair, and gave her a wave before heading off. Ritsuka stuck her tongue out at his turned back as he made his way off the beach, but her anger melted into surprise as she felt a towel settle around her shoulders.

“Oh—.”

She turned to see Karna looking at her with mild exasperation.

“As soon as you decided to challenge him, I knew you would lose. I took the liberty of grabbing this for you in advance.”

She huffed, _“Listen._ I didn't think it would only take him _thirty seconds,”_ Ritsuka shook her head, her voice low and solemn, “I have never seen a man swallow five hot dogs in a row before now.”

“In spite of how repulsive it was to watch...I still can't help but be impressed.”

She toweled her hair off as best she could, before rubbing the water away on her face and wrapping the towel fully around her shoulders.

“I'm gonna have to wash my hair again to get all this sea salt out of it. I didn't want to get in the ocean today...” she spoke in a whiny tone, “This sucks!”

He patted her back sympathetically.

“Perhaps take this as a humbling experience.”

“Oh, absolutely not, I'm already thinking of ways to get him back. I don't think I could toss him in the ocean, though...” she paused for a moment, losing herself in thought, before finally looking at him, “...You know, now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen you in the water at all since we've been here.”

“Being fully submerged isn't something I enjoy.”

“You and most people. Did you think I _wanted_ to get sea water in my ears or something?” she chuckled, “But it's not all bad. Sitting on the shore is really nice; the water just kind of washes over you and there's no risk of swallowing any,” she stared out towards the ocean, and then back at him, “Come sit with me. The tide is really gentle right now, so you won't get splashed at all,” her hand gripped his, “I'm not gonna order you to or anything, but I think you might like it.”

She had that curious, hopeful expression on her face, the expression that made his heart beat just a little bit faster. There was little resistance in him in the first place, but any that had been in the back of his mind disappeared as soon as she smiled at him.

“Alright. That sounds nice.”

The tide receded as they sat down, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. She placed his hand on top of his as the water, nice and cool, passed over their legs before pulling back into the ocean again.

“It's not bad, right?” she smiled at him, the sun hitting her in just the right way for her skin to glow, to make her smile a little brighter.

He intertwined their fingers, “It's pleasant.”

“Good! I'm glad you like it,” she pulled the towel up higher so the edge wouldn't get wet, “If it starts getting uncomfortable you can feel free to leave. I like having you here with me but I don't want you to sit here in agony just to keep me company.”

She could order him to do absolutely anything she wanted to, but she refused to put him through the smallest discomfort, even though he would be perfectly willing to take a hundred swords for her should she ask him to. The amount of consideration she showed to him was still not something he was used to. The amount of consideration she showed to all of her Servants was something he knew was not common.

He went quiet as his head tilted down, eyes closing, and he gathered his thoughts.

“...May I ask you something, Ritsuka?”

“Hm? Of course.”

“...There are Masters who have treated their Servants well before, but when it comes down to it, I'm still just a tool at your disposal,” his eyebrows furrowed and he looked up at her, “I know you are a compassionate person by nature...but even kind mages ultimately see us as the weapons we are. But you have never thought of me—or any other Servant—that way,” his lips formed a thin line, “I am not bothered by it...rather, I have trouble understanding why you act the way you do sometimes.”

The curiosity on her face gave way to a worried confusion.

“Wh...What? I don't...” her confusion turned distraught, “Karna, you—you still have sapience, sentience, you're still a _person._ You could never be a weapon to me, _none of you_ could ever be just weapons to me...even Servants that tell me to treat them like one, like Enkidu...how can I do that? They still feel pain, they still bleed when they're hurt—that's not a weapon. A sword doesn't wince when it gets hit,” she clutched his hand tightly, “Every single fight, I do my absolute best to try and figure out the best way to win with the least amount of suffering. You've all pledged yourselves unconditionally to me...that's not—more than an honor, that's a _privilege._ So I have to earn that privilege, every day, because what kind of person would I be if I didn't?” she went momentarily quiet, “Even Servants like Jeanne Alter, or Queen Medb, or Shuten-Douji, Servants who can...objectively make my life harder sometimes, they still answered the call to serve me. I have to show them it was worth doing so.”

He looked out towards the ocean.

“I see...”

Ritsuka sighed, “Do you remember what I told you about the singularity in America? About encountering another version of you there?”

“He worked under Edison, against you, during most of the duration you were there, up until the point you were able to convince Edison to ally with you.”

“That's basically it, yeah,” he could feel her hand pulse as she squeezed his as tightly as she could, “...Besides the whole...getting killed by Cú Alter thing. But,” she took in a deep breath, “That's not what I wanted to bring up.

“There were a few times when we had to fight you—him. The closest we ever got to beating him was when he just _left_ because Edison was calling him back. That time, before we fought him, he mentioned how Edison asked for y—his help, how Edison “knelt before a worthless man like himself”. And, Karna...it hurt to hear that,” she looked at him, “I didn't know who you were before I summoned you—that applies to most of my Servants, really, but I read up on your legend, and um...”

Her legs left a trail in the wet sand as she turned to fully face him.

“...I really don't know how you ended up being the way you are, with everything you went through,” she started, and he watched as the sun lit her up, “You were treated so unfairly so often but you never resented your situation _at all._ It's—Karna, your birth mother _abandoned_ you because you were an _inconvenience!_ And _then!_ Then she had the _unmitigated_ _gall_ to come to you _years_ _later_ and _beg_ _you_ _for_ _a_ _favor—_ a favor that you basically _honored—!”_ Ritsuka noticed herself beginning to get heated, and she took a deep breath before continuing, “...What I'm trying to say, I guess, is...if you can go through so much hardship, and still come out as an honorable, loyal person, then...how can _you_ kneel before a worthless person like _me?”_

Karna's eyes widened, and he reached for her, “No, that's not—.”

His words were cut off, and he startled as she wrapped her arms around him. The towel around her shoulders fell in a heap against the sand.

“Karna, I know what I am,” her voice was a low murmur, “And I know I'm not Duryodhana. Not even close. Most of the time, I don't even know what I'm doing. But...you're still willing to kneel for me.”

His legs spread out as she settled between them, her hands cupping his face, eyes locking with his. At some point, he'd rested his hands right above the space on her hips; he could see the tan line from her swimsuit bottom just barely peeking out near his palms. The tide ebbed in, gently lapping at their legs before falling back.

“I don't know how much weight my own word carries. Probably more than it should, for you,” she gave him a small, teasing smile, “But please...know that I...value...you. You're worth more than _anything_ to me.”

Ritsuka brushed his hair out of his face to press her lips against his forehead.

“I value you so much,” her fingers spread out as she clasped his face, and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled at him.

She bumped her forehead against his, and her smile slowly gave way the longer she kept against him. Her eyes gently lidded halfway, and Karna's own fluttered closed. Her lips parted, her breath hot as she began to tilt her head; he moved to meet her halfway, his fingers nearly meeting each other against her back as his hands wrapped around her small waist. Time slowed to a crawl. The sound of the crashing waves was overpowered in their ears by the simultaneous pounding of their hearts.

“Karna...” she was so close he could feel her words against his lips, “I...”

“Master! Hey, we're getting everybody together for— _ow!_ What the _hell,_ Fox?! What was that for?!”

Mordred's voice cut through the atmosphere like a hot knife, and Ritsuka's eyes widened as she became keenly aware of just what she was doing.

“I...” her eyes grew larger, face turning red, and she saw his own eyes open to a piercing, questioning blue.

“Hm?”

The heat of her hands left him as she scrambled up and off of him as fast as she could, the red in her face growing darker by the second.

“I—I have to go,” she snatched the now wet and sandy towel, nearly tripping in her haste to get away, but she turned around briefly, hands clutching at the towel like it was a lifeline, “I'll—I'll see you later, I—.”

She couldn't finish whatever she was trying to say, and ran off. Karna watched as she went towards the group of female Servants, nearly all of them loudly berating Mordred for something he couldn't make out.

As he turned to look out towards the ocean, guilt surged through him as he felt the warmth of the sun on his face, for he realized it paled in comparison to the warmth of her body against his.

***

They'd both lost count of how many times they'd met nightly on the beach, but Karna was still taken aback by how beautiful she was, standing under the moon, every single night. The image of her on the sand, the wind lightly brushing her hair as she looked towards the horizon, was one he would never tire of.

Her face lit up as she turned and saw him coming her way.

“We must stop meeting like this,” she teased once they were next to each other, but she reached for his hand and began to walk down the shoreline with him. Her hair fell loose, past her shoulders, and a light breeze caressed her locks across her face.

“The girls played a, uh, _proper_ game of volleyball today,” she started, “It was doubles—Anne and Mary vs. Scáthach and Mordred. I was told to referee this time, with Mash, so I couldn't be dragged into it. It was fun to watch. Mordred kind of...went in really hard, though. I think she's still mad that you...crushed her on a spiritual and emotional level.”

“I took what I thought was the best course of action at the time.”

“Well, Mordred still keeps bringing up how she's going to kick your ass, so maybe keep your distance from her a little longer,” she squeezed his hand, and sighed, “We started working on our escape ship some more afterward. I'm so tired of collecting wood! I keep getting splinters, it's the worst.”

“Scáthach insisted that this was something you would be able to do yourselves. I'm sorry...I would offer my help, otherwise.”

“Just because we _can_ doesn't mean we _should,”_ she let out an indignant huff, “At least our plants are coming in nicely. I never thought I'd be getting into gardening, but here I am. Well...to be fair, I guess it's not exactly something I'm able to _do_ at Chaldea, so I—.”

She abruptly stopped walking, unable to finish her sentence. The chilly night breeze ruffled Karna's hair as he faced her.

“Are you alright?”

“I...I...” when she could finally look up at him, her gaze was distant, “I'm not...going to be able to spend time with you like this, when we go back to Chaldea...am I?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, thinking his words over carefully.

“That's...not something I can speak to.”

The grip he had on her hand loosened as her arms began to go limp. A gust of wind blew through the air, mussing up Ritsuka's hair.

“Even in the rare times I do have free time...” her head slowly tilted down, eyes fixed on the sand, “I'm usually getting dragged into something. There's always somebody who needs to have their Spirit Origin strengthened...or somebody that wants me to help them out with _whatever_ weird thing they're doing...” the laugh that came out of her was weak and humorless, “I'm so thankful for all my Servants but I really...don't have a whole lot of time in the day to do what _I_ want to do...”

He moved closer, his hand resting on her shoulder.

“Ritsuka...”

She looked through him once her eyes moved off the ground.

“And...thinking on it, when I do get time entirely to myself, I'm studying magecraft that I...still can't do, or reading up on the backgrounds of my Servants so I know how to utilize their skills better in battle. I...”

Her hand slipped from his entirely. His hand rested on her shoulder as he watched the realization sink into her.

“I'm...never going to have something like this again...” she set her sight towards the ocean, “...am I?”

The tide rolled in, crashing against the sand.

“I don't know.”

He stayed still and silent beside her, his hand a warm, light weight on her shoulder.

Ritsuka slowly turned her head back, her eyes dark, and muddled. She stared at him as if she was searching for an answer, but he continued to stay silent. As a lock of her hair drifted across her face from the incoming wind, his hand moved off her shoulder to tuck it back.

Her hands reached up towards his face as she clasped his head in her hands. Clouds loomed in the sky, passing over the moon, casting the length of the beach in shadow. She stayed still, and her thumbs stroked at his face as the moon was finally visible once more, his skin nearly glowing from the soft light.

“Ritsuka—.”

She kissed him.

Karna's breath got caught in his throat as her lips pressed against his. Whatever he thought was going to happen tonight, this was not it.

It was far from an unwanted gesture—it was, in fact, entirely wanted—but the shock of it all made him freeze. As much as he wanted to respond, as much as he had been wanting this to happen, with blue eyes gone large, he was simply too stunned to move. This was not a situation he had much experience in handling.

His reticence was noticed, instantly, and when she pulled back, eyes beginning to water and her bottom lip caught firmly in her teeth as she tried desperately not to cry, he felt his heart shatter.

“Oh—I...I was—I was wrong...I thought...you...” her voice cracked as tears began to trail down her cheeks, “I shouldn't have...”

Her hands dropped from his face as she took a step back, and then another, wiping at the corner of her eyes as tears began to fall freely in spite of her best efforts.

She choked out, “I—I'm so sorry.”

Ritsuka turned. It suddenly hit him that she was going to leave.

“Wait—.”

His fingers missed the cloth of her wrap by just a hair as she took off running back towards the girls' base camp. He watched her fade into the distance, and he was left cold, and alone.


	3. Chapter 3

She did everything she could possibly do to avoid him.

It was less difficult than she thought it'd be; the issue with the boars and their food supply kept her fairly busy—and it was hard to be in much of a good mood anyway with the loss of Diarmuid and Fionn—but even without the issues involving the newly discovered wildlife, there were still things that could be built for comfort—in addition to the work still needed on their escape ship.

But the spare time she did have was spent in far less constructive ways.

“...Senpai, are you sure you don't want to join us?”

Mash stood in the door frame of Ritsuka's cabin, a concerned frown on her face as Ritsuka sat on a log couch and pet Fou behind the ears.

“I—I'm...” she took in a deep breath, “Yeah, I'm okay. I'll be out for dinner, don't worry about me,” Fou's eyes closed happily as she scratched underneath his chin.

Mash's face fell, “You're still not going to tell any of us what happened...?”

Ritsuka sighed.

“I messed up. That's all you really need to know,” her hand pulled back when Fou jumped off the couch to bound up to Mash and settle eagerly in her arms, against her chest.

“...But...” Mash bit her lip, letting out a defeated sigh, “...Okay, Senpai. Let me know if you need anything,” Ritsuka nodded, giving her a halfhearted thumbs up, and Mash closed the door, leaving her in her cabin, alone.

Most of the girls were crowded around the entrance to their base camp, torches lighting the path along the way and giving their faces an orange tint. As Mash walked along the cobblestone path, coming back with a shake of her head, and no Ritsuka, there was a chorus of disappointed groans and sighs.

“She still won't join us for anything...? What could've possibly happened to her to make her mood change so drastically like this? This has been so sad...” Marie's hands clasped together in a way that made her look like she was praying.

Scáthach shook her head and sighed, “I say we let her sort it out at her own pace. She's still doing everything she needs to be doing right now...even if she's a lot more depressed about it.”

“The hell? That doesn't mean we should just let her lay there feeling like garbage!” Mordred objected, poking Scáthach in the chest and getting an annoyed glare in response.

“Hush,” Artoria shot Mordred a stern look, and Mordred backed down, puffing her cheeks out and crossing her arms, “We have no idea what's going through her mind right now. As her Servants, we do what she asks us to do—and she is asking us to stay away. I have no doubt she'll tell us in due time.”

“Hmm...there's only one thing I can think of that would make a girl react like this,” Anne placed her hand against her cheek; Mary, who was leaned against her, gave a nod in confirmation.

“From what I can tell...” Mary started, meeting Anne's downward glance, “...it looks like Master got her heart broken.”

Kiyohime scowled, and reached back to grab the hilt of her naginata.

“Which one of you hurt my dear Master like this?”

With a nervous laugh, Martha placed her hand on Kiyohime's shoulder, “Please calm down, I—I don't believe it was any of us here. In fact, I'm sure most of us are perfectly aware of who this is about,” she looked around to see a glut of nodding heads.

“No, really? She's been so _subtle_ about it,” Scáthach's voice drawled out sarcastically, “This is for the two of them to sort out themselves. There is quite literally nothing any of us can do, with either words _or_ weapons.”

Artoria looked at her, then to Excalibur.

“Well, this might—.”

Mash placed a firm hand on her.

“ _No.”_

With a chorus of non-committal answers and shrugs, the girls finally decided to let Ritsuka be, and headed down towards the beach. Had they stuck around just a second longer, they would've heard Ritsuka's surprised yelp as her door was bashed in with an umbrella.

“Knock knock~♥!”

_**“** **Gah!”** _

Ritsuka scooted back on the couch as far away from Tamamo as she could in primal fear, watching like a prey animal as Tamamo hummed a jaunty little tune, hanging up her hat and daintily taking off her shoes before her foot kicked the bashed-in door shut. She leaned further away from her as Tamamo sat by her on the couch.

“ _Mikooon~!_ Your reliable shrine maiden fox has arrived!” her face fell immediately, “Now cut this out and tell me what happened.”

Ritsuka brought her legs up, and pulled them into her chest, arms wrapping around them, “What, are you gonna go use your Noble Phantasm on him, or something?”

“Yeah, right. One, it would barely scratch him, and two, that move is reserved for unfaithful husbands _only!”_ Tamamo clicked her tongue, and threw her arm over the back of the couch, “Jeez, sitting here, having _girl talk_ with my Master—I couldn't have been summoned by some charming, well-to-do man, instead?”

Ritsuka's dull eyes finally lit up, and she laughed a little, “Sorry I'm not a guy, I guess.”

“Well you _should_ be sorry. Instead of spending my time as a dedicated and devoted wife to my handsome, loyal, _husband_ of a Master, I'm helping _you_ try and get with the nicest yet most oblivious man that exists,” her lips curled into a pout, hand coming up to touch at her cheek, “I guess there's always the next summoning...”

“He's not so oblivious anymore. At least, he shouldn't be,” Ritsuka's lower face was obscured, voice muffled, as she leaned her head against her knees, “I kissed him. I thought...I thought I'd been seeing signs, that maybe he actually liked me, too, but...he didn't even react at all. It was like I was kissing a statue...” she sighed, “It was wrong of me to do, anyway. Doing something like that to one of my Servants puts them in an awful position...probably doesn't even count as consent...”

“Master. Did you not think,” Tamamo placed her hand on her forehead, exasperated, “That maybe...he was just... _surprised?”_

“I don't _know!”_ Ritsuka ran her hands through her hair, “I—I do little things like hold his hand or kiss his cheek because it...it just feels nice, to be near him, and he responds to it, most of the time! But it—it's _Karna._ Remember way back when you asked if I summoned a Servant more loyal than him? Well, no, I _haven't._ He'll do _anything_ that _anyone_ asks him, and that applies triple for me, as his Master. If I were to go up to...I don't know, D'Eon, and hold their hand, they would let me, but only because I'm their _Master,_ not because they actually have feelings for me, probably. But Karna—he does things for me unprompted, all the time, because that's just how he _is._ So how am I supposed to know if he's responding because of actual feelings, or because he's just that dutiful as both a Servant _and_ as a person?”

Tamamo had kept quiet during Ritsuka's tirade, and waited for a moment to make sure she was done, before letting out a sigh.

 _“You_ are the only person he does things for, unprompted, _all the time,”_ She could see Ritsuka opening her mouth to start to argue, but Tamamo shot her a withering look, and she meekly drew back, “And you can think _all_ _you_ _want_ that it's because you're his Master, but—but.”

Slowly, Tamamo closed her eyes.

“...We were summoned together before, in a different time, under a different Master. I'll spare you the details—because I don't remember most of them ☆” Ritsuka rolled her eyes, “...But what I _do_ know, is that he gave me his loyalty. I barely even know _why,_ but he did, which—sounds about right, for him. And as somebody who has been on the receiving end of his dutiful nature as a Servant _and_ as a person, I can tell you that the way he looks at you is _not_ the look of a man who is simply _loyal._ I've seen that same look in the eyes of a man before, a long, long time ago.”

Her eyes opened, orange meeting orange.

“I know what the heartbreak you're going through right now feels like; I might be the only female Servant here right now who has. But this feeling is not something you _have_ to be going through...because, for goodness' sake, _literally all of us_ _here_ can tell he loves you. Honestly...”

“I...” Ritsuka's gaze went downcast, “I just...I don't know. I just need some time to sort my thoughts out...”

“This island is only so big, you know,” Tamamo tutted, “You can't avoid him forever.”

“I—I know. But—but every time I see him it just hurts because I keep thinking...well, it all _could've been_ just because he's my Servant, and then I start feeling gross thinking that I put my Servant in a position where they feel like they would _have_ to return my feelings for them.”

Tamamo growled out a small, frustrated sound, “Are you deaf or something?! I _just said_ he was in love with you! ”

“Well you're _also_ my Servant and could just be saying it to make me feel better too _I don't know!_ I just can't stop overthinking this! I'm surrounded by people who _have_ to do what I say—trying to parse the honesty can be difficult sometimes!” she thumped her forehead against her knees, “I just...need time.”

“What you _need_ to do is to believe the very smart and beautiful fox giving you amazing advice right now.”

Ritsuka's body shook, and Tamamo could tell she was laughing.

“You are just so _humble,”_ although she was able to look up at Tamamo with a smile, it was small, and sad, “...Sorry you ended up with such a weak-willed Master, Tamamo. Not only am I not a cute guy, I'm also a huge coward.”

“And what a stupid thing to be cowardly about. Is facing a Demon Pillar not more terrifying to deal with?” clicking her tongue, Tamamo shook her head, “Really...”

“I'm running on pure adrenaline during most of those fights. I don't have time to stop and think about whether or not I'm going to die when I have to do everything I can to keep Mash safe,” her knees unbent, and she set her legs down on the floor, “All I can do with this is...sit here and be anxious about it.”

Ritsuka sighed, and there was a lull in the conversation. She looked down at her hands, blankly, before her head perked up as she heard Tamamo loudly clear her throat; she'd scooted down a bit on the couch, and was patting her thighs.

She furrowed her eyebrows at Tamamo, incredulous.

“Well? I haven't got all day.”

Slowly, Ritsuka laid down until her head was resting in Tamamo's lap, legs bent on the couch, mildly flustered. As Tamamo ran her fingers through her hair, she could feel some of the tension in her body start to soothe.

“You're not exactly what I was hoping for in a Master, Ritsuka—I _really_ doubt that I'm the only female Servant that feels that way—Well, actually...Nero probably doesn't mind,” Tamamo paused for a moment, “I do wish I could have the feeling of serving as a faithful wife, again. Like it was with...well. That's neither here nor there ♥”

She hummed.

“...But I will always be your loyal Tamamo-no-Mae, Master. And I imagine, before my life as a Servant...if things had gone better, if I was able to have a family, if I had been able to have children of my own...had I had a daughter, I think this is what I would have done for her if she was in a similar situation.”

Ritsuka closed her eyes, feeling them beginning to well up.

“Well, don't let Raikou hear you say that,” a tear rolled down Ritsuka's cheek, “...I knew about your legend, before I summoned you—that doesn't apply to most of my Servants, I had _no_ idea who Astolfo was. But given where I'm from...how could I not have known?” she gave Tamamo a smile, “...I'm really honored, that after everything you went through, you're willing and able to put your trust in a human like me.”

Her nose wrinkled when her forehead was flicked.

“I'm not this way with just any old Master, you know!”

Tamamo closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“...I did my share of terrible things in the past. Things that you should be familiar with. But even knowing that, you've still never shown me anything but respect and compassion, Ritsuka. You make us Anti-Hero Servants want to do better. And for someone like Karna, who was willing to give a Servant like myself his complete trust and loyalty, I imagine there's _nothing_ he wouldn't do for you.”

The laugh Ritsuka let out was wrapped in a sob, and she wiped at her eyes.

“...u-um...Casko...would it be okay if I...stayed like this until dinnertime...?”

Tamamo smiled as she felt the strands of Ritsuka's hair fall between her fingers.

“Of course, Master. Whatever you want ♥”

***

“Alright, cut the crap. Everything's been all weird and tense for way too long.”

Karna heard Cú as he approached from behind, and waited until his footsteps stopped before he turned to say anything.

“It's not my place to say.”

A short, mocking laugh came from Cú as he leaned up against a tree.

“Don't even try that, I have two eyes and a working brain. You and Ritsuka have been like _that”_ —he crossed his fingers together tightly—“since the word go, _especially_ while we've been on this island. Now the second she sees you she looks like she's about to start crying and runs off as soon as she can. She hasn't even been coming to eat with everyone else at night. I know there's been that stuff with that boar, and the mood's been down ever since Diarmuid and Fionn faded away, but that doesn't explain why she's avoiding you like the plague. The hell happened?”

He looked down at his hands, balled up into loose fists.

“...She kissed me.”

Cú went quiet for a moment. A gust of wind rustled the large leaves hanging over them.

“...I should be saying _“finally”,_ but given the way you said it, plus everything else going on, I have a feeling there's more to it.”

“It took me by surprise,” he pointed his face towards the sun, as if seeking forgiveness, “I didn't react quickly enough. She thought it was a sign of rejection, and has been avoiding me ever since.”

“What, so it's just a misunderstanding? Just go to the girls' side and tell that to her. Kojirou's been there for like twenty minutes, apparently they made a zen garden or something. I was going to go check it out after I talked to you.”

“As soon as Ritsuka sees me she, like you said, avoids me like the plague. Going over to their side...it would probably only distress her more,” he closed his eyes, “I will wait until she's comfortable enough to talk to me.”

“She can't avoid you forever. This island is only so big, and you're still her Servant and all. We both know she doesn't play favorites with, uh, non-Mash Servants,” Cú clicked his tongue, “Still though...yikes.”

“Had I just responded faster...” Karna sighed, “It doesn't matter. I will deal with the consequences of my actions.”

“Well, I hope it gets dealt with soon. And even though she's been running away, if you get a good chance, just go after her so you can explain everything and get it over with. You got pretty obvious confirmation that she returns your feelings, so there's not really any good reason to stall if the chance presents itself.”

Cú gave a lazy wave as he left Karna be not long after. As the frustration began to boil over, Karna knocked his head against the tree he sat under, the brunt of his palms coming up to rub at his eyes as he let out a defeated sigh.

There was little else for him to do with the remaining daylight except figure out what he could possibly say to Ritsuka to try and explain himself, but everything he thought of felt far too insufficient. His head banged back on the tree again, sending a vibration through the trunk that shook the leaves up top.

Time ticked past as he sat beneath the tree, staring out towards the ocean, occasionally returning waves given to him as people passed by, and with a blink of his eye, it had turned to dusk, the clear light blue of the sky replaced with blotches of purple, orange, and pink that only grew darker. There was a distant smell of barbecue, and he looked closely at the congregation of people, just barely able to make out Ritsuka's bright hair. He obscured himself as best as he could to not scare her away; she looked to be in good spirits for the first time in a while, and he knew the sight of him right now would be capable of ruining that.

The voices of everyone began to fade, as did the smell of food and fire, and the colorful dusky sky had turned to a complete night, the moon a full sphere as it raised above the horizon to leave a streak of white on the water. In the hours that had passed, he was not able to think of anything that could possibly convey to Ritsuka what he wanted to say.

He tensed up as he heard someone approaching from behind, but the sound of an upbeat hum made him drop his guard, as did the swinging parasol he saw out of the corner of his eye.

“Whew, there you are~☆! I've been looking all over for you,” his eyes followed Tamamo as she plopped down beside him, “Haven't really spoken much since we've been here, have we?”

“I didn't know you wished to speak to me.”

“Aw, can't a girl see an old friend?”

His eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at her.

“Neither of us have been at Chaldea long enough to be “old friends”.”

She began to speak, but closed her mouth, her eyes turned out towards the ocean as she held the handle of her parasol in both hands, tapping it at random intervals on the sand.

“You know,” she finally started, bending her knees a little as she shifted into a more comfortable position, “I was disappointed when I first saw Ritsuka as my Master. Some little girl? I can't be a dutiful wife to _her._ And especially after...” she hummed, “Karna-san, do you remember much about your other summons?”

The honorific to his name briefly surprised and puzzled him, but he ignored it to answer her question.

“...I get flashes, sometimes...I'm aware that some version of me was summoned at the same time as Achilles, and Atalante, but I don't know why. The most I can recall is of a previous Master, Jinako.”

“...There was a Master I had before Ritsuka, too. Hakuno...My memories of him are pretty fuzzy—just remembering his name has been difficult—but I know that I loved him. I don't know _what_ we did as Master and Servant, but I remember the feelings of devotion I held towards him. So to jump from him to Ritsuka...” Tamamo scrunched up her face, “Little bit of a downgrade, you know ☆?”

He didn't know.

“I see.”

“Going from a man I know in my heart that I loved and served faithfully, to some scrawny teenage girl...” a smile grew on her lips, “But how strange...I find myself loving Ritsuka just as much as I did Hakuno, even if the type of love itself is different,” she sat up straighter, and caught his eye, “Karna-san, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that most of her Servants want to see her safe and happy, so...this is me trying to help with the latter part ♥”

His eyes narrowed, “I don't understand.”

“Look. I want you to know, in terms as _clear_ as possible, that Ritsuka loves you—as I loved Hakuno, and as you love her. And though it took you _this long_ to figure it out...better late than never!” she gave him a mischievous wink, “I only have a few more minutes to keep talking to you—her nightly rendezvous with you, she still does that, but she typically asks one of us now unless someone offers. I was the one who offered tonight☆! We're supposed to meet up pretty soon, so I really had to hustle my tail over here to get to you in time.”

“...Is this all some sort of threat to not hurt her?”

The smile she had on her face slid off and she broke her gaze off from him to stare out at the horizon, “No,” she set her parasol on the sand, and placed her hands behind her to prop herself up, “Because I'm positive that you won't...You said you get flashes, huh? Well...I don't know how much you might remember, then...I've spoken to Nero about it, and the both of us are about on the same level. But when I called you an old friend, I wasn't lying—to me, you _are._ Karna-san, one of my clearest memories from the...wherever I was summoned, isn't of Hakuno, or of Nero, it's of you. For whatever reason, you gave me your loyalty, your kindness, and your help—all because you _wanted_ to, and because I needed it. I'm still not entirely sure how you feel about me other than the same general positivity you have towards most people, but, to me...you truly were, and are, my friend.”

He was stunned, and she returned his bewildered look with the same playful smile as always.

“I—.”

She held her hand up to stop him.

“This is me trying to help _you_ as much as it is me trying to help Ritsuka, because _heaven_ _knows_ you need it. Even though the pain she's feeling right now is self-inflicted, it's not like there's no basis in reality for it. You treat everyone kindly, which—good! It's part of your charm~☆! But for her, insecure young woman that she is, it makes it hard to differentiate between the romance and the general kindness. _I_ know the difference—I gave you a hug once, and you just stood there as still as a tree and let me do it until I pulled back, but with her, you always look like you can't get her close _enough!_ And, listen, I _tried_ to tell her that yes, you are a dedicated, loyal Servant, but the things you do for her go above and beyond that, even for you. I know you wouldn't give anyone _but_ her a kiss on the forehead! I could talk to Ritsuka 'til I'm blue in the face and point out every single way you show her how much you love her, but I can't convince her. This has to come _straight_ from the horse's mouth.”

“I...” he continued to be in a mild state of shock, “I don't...”

 _“Here_ is what you're going to do: you're going to march up to her and tell her _exactly_ what she did that made you fall in love with her, and then you are going to _explicitly_ say that you love her. Got that? The words I. Love. You. However you want to phrase it. Even _you_ can't make that sound unintentionally rude. Is that clear?”

All he could do was give a small, obedient nod.

She leaned forward with a curious hum, ears twitching and eyes squinting as she stared down the beach, and she could see Ritsuka in the distance, pacing along the shoreline.

“Well! I told her I would meet her a little late—wasn't sure how long this would take, after all, but I believe I've said everything I wanted to say,” she bopped him on the head with her closed umbrella, “That's your cue! Good luck ♥!”

Karna stood up in a slight rush, looking somewhat dazed as he began to walk away, before he stopped suddenly to look at her,

“...Tamamo—.”

“Oh just _go_ already; we can talk more later and _then_ you can thank me.”

He nodded, and hurried off.

***

Ritsuka clicked her tongue, her annoyance steadily increasing the longer she waited on the beach.

_Tamamo sure is taking her time..._

She looked out towards the calm sea, toying with the ends of her hair.

_Maybe I'll just go back, this is getting ridiculous..._

Sleeping at night was even harder than usual, if she didn't clear her head first, what with how jumbled her thoughts were, but she was getting to the point where she'd take the night of poor sleep if Tamamo was going to stand her up like this—for _whatever_ reason, especially given she had _offered_ to go with her in the first place. Briefly, she pondered the Command Spells on her right hand, before deciding it wasn't worth waiting an entire day for one to come back just to be petty.

“What is she _doing?”_

She finally heard the sound of someone approaching her, and she let out a sigh that was both relieved and irritated. There was absolutely nothing she could think of that Tamamo needed to do that would've stalled her for this long, but at least she had finally deigned to make her way over to where she was supposed to be.

“Jeez, _finally._ What did you _possibly_ have to do that took you _this—.”_

Her breath caught in her throat. Karna was standing barely two feet away from her. The wind passed through hair as he kept his eyes on her, expression unreadable.

“I—I...”

Ritsuka could feel her heart sink into her stomach, her blood running cold, every muscle in her body poised to begin to flee. The shock didn't truly wear off, but the intense need to _get out of there_ finally came to the forefront of her mind, flight instincts going into overdrive.

“I—I...I have to go.”

She swerved around and started to hurry back towards base camp, but footsteps ground down into the sand behind her, and she felt herself anchored to the ground by a hand on her wrist. Her eyes snapped down to the black hand around her arm—gentle, but firm. The thought that he would simply stop her from walking away never crossed her mind.

Her eyes flicked up to his face, “Wh-What—.”

“London.”

The tension in her body began to ease, if only because she was too confused by what he was saying to be anxious.

“...It was after your return from London.”

He took one step towards her.

“...Solomon had shown himself, killed most of the Servants who were aiding you, and injured you during your “fight” with him. He then insulted you and left you alive based purely on a passing whim. You fixed the singularity, but it did not feel like a victory to any of us,” he paused, “I don't know if you know this, but there was a feeling of hopelessness in Chaldea during that time. Many Servants began to question why they had answered your summons in the first place.

“I visited you while you were in the infirmary. You were sleeping off a concussion inflicted by Solomon, and shortly after I came in, you woke up. You lit up when you saw me,” he exhaled slowly, “...Ritsuka, you'd been so severely beaten down. I've still never seen you look worse than you did then,” his fingers gripped her wrist just a little more firmly, “...But when you saw me walk in, all the exhaustion on your face vanished. You smiled at me like nothing terrible had happened, told me that you missed me, and asked what I had been up to while you were gone...and you were not putting on a brave face. You were genuinely that happy to see me—in spite of what you had gone through, and in spite of the amount of pain you were in,” he paused for a moment, and his voice became quieter, “That was when I realized I loved you.”

She was looking down at the ground; her body was no longer tense, and in fact, had gone almost entirely slack. Tentatively, he let go of her wrist and bridged the gap, walking up to embrace her from behind.

“I apologize...” he spoke softly, “...for making it seem like I did not.”

Ritsuka stayed motionless, her breathing quiet and even, matching the slow push and pull of the tide. He kept his hold of her loose enough that, should she want to leave, she would be able to do so easily.

But as she reached her hand up to grasp at one of his arms, all he could feel was a wave of relief, and his hold on her because more secure.

“...I kept thinking about...how, if you really were just being affectionate because you felt like you had to, as a Servant, then...honestly, I should be happy with just that. Because...what had I done to earn it, from someone like you?”

She could feel him shaking his head against her as his grip tightened around her.

“Ritsuka, that's not—.”

“Karna, you're a _demigod._ You're one of the most powerful Servants I've summoned, period, and on top of that you do so much for me just to make me even a little bit happier. Even though I'm your Master, the fact that you could find me appealing at all is just...I'm not royalty, I'm not divine, and most of the time I'm surrounded by women who are smarter, stronger, and prettier than I am,” her sigh sounded exhausted, “Karna, I don't understand. I may be trying the best that I can in an impossible situation, but at the end of the day...I'm...small, and weak, and...just so...painfully normal.”

He pulled away from her, and placed a hand on her shoulder to gently turn her around to face him. She was staring at her feet, head tipped down.

“Most Heroic Spirits who are recorded in the Throne come from eras where honor and integrity were the code of law in the land. I'm not so blind as to not see how that's changed in the modern age,” two fingers went under her chin to tilt her head up, her eyes pulling away from the ground and meeting his as he held her head in his hands, “But when you're given the option—and even when you are not—you always make the choice to be brave and compassionate, even as things only become harder. You are small, and weak, and so painfully normal, and you still do so much to help so many. There are Gods who have done less for humanity than you have.”

Months of affection that he held for her, affection that he had kept tightly locked down, flooded out as he gazed at her.

“...And at the end of the day, when you are tired, and worn down, from the weight of everything that's been put on your shoulders—even during times when you have been utterly defeated...you are still able to smile, Ritsuka.”

Her eyes were a galaxy, the hundreds of stars overhead reflected in them, her stare wide and unmoving as he finished speaking. Water lapped at the base of their feet as the tide ebbed and flowed in a lazy rhythm. A lone cloud had finished its pass over the moon, bathing the two of them in a soft glow as the world seemed to stay locked in this moment, eternally.

Ritsuka finally managed to blink after what felt like ages, and her hands snapped to dig into his hair as she pulled him down to kiss him.

His lips were soft, and he was so wonderfully warm, his body a comforting heat that enveloped her wholly in the chilly night air. She whimpered, and gave half a stumble in his direction as he gently parted her lips, and his arm wrapped around her waist as her knees began to shake, drawing her small frame towards him, anchoring her. Though he was not hasty with how his lips pressed against hers, he did not allow her any purchase, kissing her as if his entire life had led up to this moment, savoring every noise he was able to draw out of her. One of her hands fell from his hair, her body weak from how lightheaded he was making her, but she still had enough strength and clarity of mind to meet his hand as he intertwined their fingers. The quiet roar of the tide had become white noise in the background; in the dense fog that covered her head, all she was able to hear were the echoes of the soft sounds he was coaxing from her.

Distantly, Ritsuka was aware that it would be pitifully easy for anybody else to stumble on them, out in the open air of the beach, but she found herself caring less and less about the embarrassment she would feel if somebody came upon them as his hand went below the cover she wore. His heated fingers dug in against the middle of her back to tug her in closer still, her chest touching his, one of his legs stepping between her own. The strength in her other hand was finally lost, and it fell down from his hair to feebly grasp onto his forearm as his fingertips pressed firmly against her back. She was dazed when he pulled back, her heart fluttering wildly against her rib cage, but she was given little time to adjust before he leaned down to suck against the skin under her jaw.

“Karn— _ah...!”_

Her toes curled, a shot of electricity going down her spine, and she tilted her head to the side reflexively to allow him more room. She could hear his rapid, quiet breathing as he kissed a slow line down to the curve of her neck that led into her shoulder, before he bit down into her sensitive skin. Ritsuka's squeezed her mouth and eyes shut as tightly as she could to stifle the whine threatening to come out of the back of her throat; she was caught in such a pleasant haze that all she was able to focus on was the heat of his body against hers.

She could feel the bite mark pulse as he pulled away for good, and the light pressure of his hand squeezing hers helped to bring her back down, grounding her.

“I apologize...I may have gone too far.”

“...Karna,” she tilted her forehead to rest against his collarbone, still catching her breath, “The only thing stopping me...from asking you to push me down, and take me, right now, in the sand...is that I don't want Mash to potentially see, and be traumatized.”

With her head buried in his chest she was unable to see the deep red spreading quickly across his face, but she could feel his pulse pick up. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to gather himself.

“That's—.”

“Also, beach sex is apparently pretty uncomfortable,” she interjected, apropos of nothing, “Ah, well. I'll figure something out,” she let out a little sigh, and pulled herself back to look at his face, her lips quirking into a teasing smile as her hand reached up to touch his cheek, “Aw, you're blushing! I think this is only the second time I've ever seen you blush.”

“I didn't think you would be so direct,” he opened his eyes, a mildly confused look on his face, “...Wait, _only_ Mash?”

“Hm? Oh, well, yeah, I mean, I don't want _anybody else_ to see either, but Mash is the one I would be most concerned about,” Ritsuka's expression turned serious, “I think she only knows about sex...theoretically. It's not something I've really discussed with her—doesn't exactly come up in casual conversation,” her eyes opened, and she looked past him at how dark the sky was getting, “...I should...probably get back to base camp. It's pretty late,” she said, making no attempt to break away from him, and in fact rested her cheek against his chest to bring herself closer.

“Do you want me to join you?” he asked softly, before resting his chin on top of her head.

“...Every time I've fallen asleep on you I've gotten at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep...hmm...” his hand slipped from her back as Ritsuka pulled away from him, nodding, the pink on her cheeks spreading up to her ears, “I—I'm gonna get teased when I get back, but at least I'll be able to sleep well.”

She stood on her toes as he leaned down to kiss her one last time, much shorter and sweeter than the previously heated session. As she turned, she gave his hand a tug, and they left footprints in the sand on their way towards the girls' base camp.

***

Ritsuka took a deep breath at the start of the cobblestone path leading into their small village, and with an encouraging squeeze of her hand from Karna, she finally became emboldened enough to walk in.

As she saw Scáthach waiting near the entrance, drinking from a coconut, eyeing the two of them up and down, Ritsuka immediately lost all her courage. Her embarrassment grew into outright mortification as she noticed Scáthach's amused smirk as she stared at the bite mark on her neck.

“...I think I speak for everyone when I say it's about time,” she wiped her mouth with her forearm, “Just don't be too loud, alright?”

“ _That's not—!”_ Ritsuka willed her voice down even as the blush on her face grew brighter, “I sleep better with him around, _okay?!”_

Scáthach didn't say anything for an uncomfortably long amount of time.

“...uh-huh,” she took a loud, drawn-out sip from the coconut, “Anyway, don't be too loud.”

By what felt like divine intervention, Scáthach had been the only female Servant in the vicinity, so the long walk to her cabin was tense but ultimately amounted to nothing. She pressed her back up against the door to her cabin after she closed it, sliding down it a little and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Tomorrow morning is going to be awkward, but that's future me's problem,” she smiled warmly at Karna, “Anyway, let me get out of this swimsuit; Scáthach made me some pajamas early on because I was _not_ going to sleep every night in a _swimsuit._ They are a bit...um...” Ritsuka's face began to burn once more, “Well. You'll see.”

He sat patiently on her bed while she went in the bathroom to change, and he could hear the words _“oh no, this really is the most conservative thing she made for me, isn't it”_ from the other side; he couldn't help but be curious after hearing that.

The door opened just a crack, and he could see Ritsuka's fingers peeking out. With one big, deep breath, she stepped out, wearing a black negligee, sheer except for the chest, and a pair of black underwear—it almost looked like a lingerie version of the regular bodysuit Scáthach wore as a Lancer. Her hands were covering her face, but he could see just how red the tips of her ears were as she tried to shrink in on herself.

He stood, laying his fingers gently around her wrists to ease her hands down and away from her face. When he could finally see her, cheeks scarlet, she kept her eyes glued to the floor. Brushing her hair behind her ear, he waited patiently until she was able to finally look at him.

“I—I don't know why she makes all the clothes so _skimpy_...even her own swimsuit looks like it's been painted on...” he brought one of her hands up to kiss her knuckles, “This really is the most...sensible thing she made for me...some of the other ones can _barely_ be called clothes.”

“I think it looks nice,” he spoke quietly, and stroked her cheek, smiling just a little, “...I am curious to see what else she's made for you.”

Her mouth formed a thin line, and she shook her head, “M...Maybe another time...”

He embraced her from behind as she sunk back down into the bed, her body being scooted closer into him. As he kissed against her neck, she felt her breath hitch, his teeth nipping at a spot just under the start of her jaw, and his fingers lightly brushed against her as he parted her hair back to press his mouth against her shoulder.

There was a lull as she turned to face him, but it was brief, her fingers sinking into his hair to bring his mouth closer to hers as their legs tangled together beneath the sheets. Her breath came out as a stutter as she felt his hand slide down her back, fingers resting on the back of her upper thigh and digging in as he pulled her leg up and around his hips. Once satisfied with its placement, his hand slid to the small of her back, pressing her flush against him.

He released her bottom lip as he caught it between his teeth, as he drew back from her to slip down the black strap from her shoulder and leave a slow line of open-mouthed kisses along her neck, pale skin now a warm bronze. Tightly, she clung to him, her toes curling, her breaths coming out in hot and stuttered moans as he worked a red mark into the spot just below where the curve of her jawline started. He felt her shudder against him as he brushed her hair behind her ear, fingers tracing around the shell.

Ever so gently, he took her earlobe between his lips, and nearly flinched back from surprise as Ritsuka let out a long, high-pitched whine, _significantly_ louder than anything he'd heard her make so far. A tremor pulsed through her body, and she was shaking as she held onto him as tightly as she could.

Karna gradually pulled away to get a good look at her face, which was slowly turning more and more red, her wide eyes staring down in blank disbelief.

His eyebrows furrowed, “Did you...”

“...please...just...let me die...” her words were a wheeze. She rested her forehead against his collarbone as she shook her head.

There was a heavy pause, and Karna was contemplative for a moment, before he brought his hand up, lightly tugging on the lobe with his thumb and middle finger, and her reaction, though weaker, was almost the exact same. She swatted his hand away and yanked herself back, the effect of the death glare she was giving him severely lessened by how red her cheeks were.

“I see...” his eyes closed, “...I should keep this in mind.”

She poked him in the chest, only growing more distressed.

“Stop— _Stop looking so pleased with yourself!”_

“...Is that an order, Ritsuka?”

Her ineffective glare only got deeper, but it quickly melted into embarrassment, her cheeks puffing out, as he kissed her forehead.

“It shouldn't be all that surprising,” Ritsuka's words came out as a grumble through her pout, “I'm still a vir—very new to this.”

“To be honest, I don't really understand why you're so distressed.”

“It's...complicated. I'll explain it some other time,” she sighed, and cuddled into his chest more as he wrapped his arm around her back, fingers threading through the back of her hair, “You're so warm...” Ritsuka aimlessly drew circles around the red gem in his chest before her palm was placed flat against it, “...I love you, Karna. I just realized I didn't say it back to you, at the beach, but...I love you. I have for a long time.”

The skin on the back of her neck prickled as she felt his fingertips run along her scalp, “Before London?”

“...Yeah,” she exhaled slowly, “...it was about a week after I summoned you.”

He pulled back, dumbfounded, and saw her looking up at him with her chin on his chest.

“How?”

“I had that awful flu and you took care of me, remember?” she started, “We hardly knew each other at that point—I'd been planning on using the simulator with you for the next few days, to get to know you, see how you work in combat, all that, but I could barely get out of bed because of how sick I was. Usually Mash dotes on me when something like this happens, but when I got sick with this, she would only come once every few hours to take my temperature and help me get to the bathroom. I thought it was weird that she was only doing just that—she usually stays right by my side.

“But I would always have a full glass of water by my bed, and whenever I fell asleep with my face all sweaty, I would wake up and feel a little cooler, like somebody had wiped my forehead off with a cold cloth. I could hardly eat anything the first few days, too, but someone was making sure I would at least get some broth down every once in a while—and then, when I got to the point where I could get okayu down, somebody started bringing me _that,_ too. I was pretty delirious most of the time, but even though I didn't know who was doing it, I knew it wasn't Mash. We have matching cups we use for each other—they're black and white and they're shaped like little cat heads, and the black one that I use wasn't ever on my nightstand.

“I only found out it was you when my fever broke, when I saw you coming into my room with a fresh glass of water to give to me. You were all surprised to see me awake, and after you put the water down by me, you sat down next to me on my bed and...you had such a gentle look in your eyes. And you pushed my hair out of my face and said you were glad I was feeling better, then you asked if there was anything you could do for me.

“And I—I hadn't bathed for three straight days at that point. My hair was matted, and greasy, and...Karna, I _saw_ how my face looked later, and I looked _terrible._ I've never seen my eyes so sunken in. But you didn't care at all, you just seemed so relieved when you saw I was doing better,” she cupped his cheek, “You barely knew me as your Master, but you did so much for me...I know that's just how you are now, but I loved you so much just then. I always will.”

The gasp that came from her was small and breathy as he rolled her over onto her back, leaning down to gently capture her lips against his. Both of his arms coiled around her once the kiss broke and his fingers combed through the back of her hair as he pulled her face close to his chest.

“I don't know what I've done to be this lucky, to have you as my Master,” his voice was low, and sent a tingle through her body. He could smell the lingering ocean scent on her skin.

“I don't know what _I_ did to be this lucky to have _you_ as my Servant,” she rubbed her hands in a slow, soothing motion, up and down his back, “...I love you.”

He didn't trust himself to be able to respond, and simply held her small frame against him. Thankfully, as her hands began to card through his hair, it seemed he had no reason to say anything. She understood him just fine.

***

“You know, your village really is nicer than ours,” The boar piglet in Ritsuka's arms oinked happily as she scratched it behind the ear, “It's a little smaller but you built everything a lot better than we did, and actually seemed to put thought into how it's laid out. After we got all our lodgings built we just kind of...starting putting things wherever there was space.”

“Well, good thing you're a Master and not a city planner, then,” Cú said, leaning against the bridge that led into the boys' camp, “You're free to stay as long as you want to. “No Girls Allowed” doesn't apply to our Master. Besides, I think your boyfriend would just beat me up if I tried anything like that.”

Her head hung low as she tried to obscure the blush on her face, “That's not—.”

“Oh, _what,_ am I wrong?”

“That's just—that's not the term I would use for him, alright?!” she huffed, “I already got roasted by all the girls this morning, I don't need you barking at me, either.”  
  


(She'd been woken up that morning by Mash; predictably, she'd begun to stay in bed for far too long, so her always-helpful kouhai was more than willing to go wake her up, stepping into her cabin while Scáthach had stayed quiet in the back, under the shade of a palm tree, as everyone gathered outside to wait for their Master. Tamamo had walked up to her with a smile and two open coconuts, and she handed one off to Scáthach. They had bumped the fruit together in a sort of informal toast, took a drink, stood back, and simply watched the magic unfold.

Mash had come hurrying out of Ritsuka's cabin only a few moments later, her face beet red, closing the door to Ritsuka's lodgings just a little too hard. She had cleared her throat, looking at the female Servants lounging about in boredom as they waited for Ritsuka to come out so they could start the day.

“U-Um! Senpai isn't feeling so well today, s-so, I think we should just—.”

 _“Pft,_ sure, okay. Why are you so red, then?” Mordred had leaned back in the outdoor lounge chair she sat in, “Did you walk in on her naked?”

“N—No! Not...exactly...”

Scáthach had given an aside glance to Tamamo.

“How long should we let this go on?”

Tamamo had given a pleasant little hum.

“I'm curious to see just how long Mash can keep this up~☆”

“N—She's not hurt or anything!” Mash had grown increasingly flustered, “It...might just be a tropical illness! Or allergies to some of the plants!”

“Then let me through!” Kiyohime had barged up to Mash, “I'll give my dear Master all the care she needs!”

Mash had squeaked, and only became redder, doing what she could to body-block Kiyohime from the door, _“No!_ Sh—She'll be fine! Trust me! She just needs to sleep it off!”

“Come off it, we know you've covered for her before when she tries to procrastinate on something,” Mary fell back against her chair in a heap, “Just tell us the truth. She probably just stayed up too late doing something.”

“Oh, that's one way to put it,” Tamamo had said with a giggle as Scáthach snorted in response.

 _“Listen she'll be okay let's just all go and get breakfast already!”_ Mash's voice had picked up in both speed and pitch.

“Could you sound _less_ convincing?” Mordred had shaken her head, “C'mon, I'll smash down her door and drag her outta there. We got work to do today.”

“Alright, I think it's time to throw Mash a bone,” Scáthach had said, and cupped a hand over her mouth, “Hey Mash. Be honest: is she sick, or is she just not able to walk?”

They had all turned to Scáthach, and as the attention had lifted from Mash, she had buried her face in her hands.

During the midst of the conversation, Tamamo had seemingly been the only one to notice Karna silently making his way towards the start of the woods behind their base camp, doing his absolute best to not be noticed, apparently having had sneaked out through a window in Ritsuka's cabin. A wicked grin had appeared on her face, and she took a deep breath as she prepared to ruin things for him.

“Oh, there~he~ _is~!”_ Tamamo had cheered, and had given a big wave, _“Karna-san!_ Good to see you ♥!”

Karna had frozen up in his retreat towards the forest, mechanically turning halfway around to see everyone's eyes on him. His hand had gradually risen, held up in an awkward “hello” to Tamamo, but even from the distance she was at, she had been able to see the _“I thought we were supposed to be friends”_ look of betrayal in his eyes. A beat had passed, the gears in his head noticeably turning, and they all watched as he had immediately vanished into spirit form.

 _“Hey!”_ Mordred had stood up abruptly from her chair, “You fucking coward! _Get back here!”_

Artoria had walked up to Mash, looking her up and down, sizing her up. Mash had regarded her, befuddled, until a squeal came out from her in response to Artoria picking her up and setting her down to the side, as if she was some sort of in-the-way mannequin instead of a person. The King of Knights had knocked on Ritsuka's door to the tune of “shave and a haircut”, with the last beat being punctuated by her foot kicking the door in.

“Master! You finally become intimate with the Lancer you've had feelings for this whole time, yet you refused to tell us?! You refuse to give us _details?!”_ Artoria's voice had boomed with regal authority, _“We demand to know how good he is in bed!”_

“What the hell?! Wh _— **my door!”** _

That had, quite literally, opened the door for the rest of the female Servants to file inside Ritsuka's cabin, a cacophony of questions falling from the mouths of all of them. Tamamo and Scáthach had taken simultaneous sips from their coconuts, while Mash had stood outside, defeated.)  
  


“In hindsight, I should've just had him stay in spirit form the whole time while he was leaving, but everything just kind of happened at once. Ugh... _“That's future me's problem”_ I'm gonna go back in time and kick my own ass,” she closed her eyes, flustered, “Honestly, the worst part was that absolutely none of them believed me when I said we didn't really do anything. Not even Mash. That one hurt the most.”

Cú gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

“I also don't believe you.”

Ritsuka gave him a dirty look.

“But anyway, at least none of us have to watch you two awkwardly dancing around the subject anymore. That was getting _really_ painful to watch.”

She let the boar piglet down as it wiggled in her arms, and it ran off the bridge and into the woods, “There is that, I guess...”

“Well, feel free to hide away from the rest of the girls as long as you want. I got other stuff I want to do, make yourself comfortable, etc,” he walked across the bridge and gave her a little wave off, which she returned, even though he couldn't see it.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there when she saw Karna coming towards the bridge out of the corner of her eye, but her face lit up regardless. Her palm touched his as he came up to her, highlighting the size difference between their hands, before their fingers intertwined as he leaned down to kiss her.

“Spending more time on the elephant slide?” she said as he pulled back, his forehead touching hers.

“Yes. I feel very relaxed up there.”

“I would hope so! When it first got built, you were up there for half an hour,” her hair, hanging loosely past her shoulders, ruffled slightly in the breeze, “Hey, Cú didn't really give me a tour or anything after the rest of the girls left. Why don't you show me around? Where have you been sleeping at, anyway?”

The bridge led into their crop fields, with a stone pathway splitting off towards a separate area through the woods. He led her down it, to a secluded part of the beach, where five small, elevated beach houses, with large, conical roofs, were lined across the sand, each one with a set of wood stairs leading up to a thin deck wrapping around the house.

Ritsuka groaned, and rubbed at her eyes, “Why didn't we think of beach huts...that's such a good idea...”

“Fionn had insisted on building them here, as it was more “romantic”. It's a shame he's no longer here to be able to enjoy it.”

“Ah, I'll get him back whenever we get back to Chaldea. Diarmuid, too,” she stood on her toes to peer down the line, “Which one is yours?”

They went to the one furthest down, up the stairs, and onto the deck. He held open the large, glass-paneled door for her, and she slipped her sandals off as she stepped inside on the stone flooring. It was fairly small, more of a large bedroom than anything close to a full house, but she was overtaken by the large bed placed in the middle of the room, going up to place her hands on the downy mattress.

 _“This bed is so fancy!_ Why didn't I think of this? Four posts, a canopy?” she blinked, then looked over her shoulder at him, “Then again, this doesn't really seem like something you yourself would pick out.”

“You'd be correct,” a pained flash came over his face as he closed his eyes, “Again...Fionn was very particular, and insistent, on how he wanted things to look. Cú Chulainn really stretched his own rune magic to the limit. It's a bit overwhelming...I am not used to being in such a lavish living space.”

“Well, it's all really nice. I'm pretty jealous,” Ritsuka ran her hand down the fabric of the canopy, bunched and tied up against a wooden pole, before turning back to him, “I can enjoy it enough for the both of us.”

“If it makes you happy, then it was worth making,” he met her hand, their fingers intertwining, and he sifted his fingers through the back of her hair as he tilted her head up to kiss her.

“ _Mh...”_

She moaned, soft and low, the vibrations sending a tingle against his lips, her hand placed on his chest before sliding up to the back of his head to lean him down further as her lips parted against his tongue. A shiver ran down her spine, followed by her knees shaking, as his hand lightly trailed from her hair to the small of her back, one of his legs stepping between hers as his fingers curled around her waist.

Her breathing was strained when she drew back. It was silent, only the sounds of palm fronds brushing against the walls outside in the wind. As his bright blue eyes gazed down at her with a look of such tenderness, her pulse rapidly picked up. Closing her eyes, Ritsuka gathered her courage.

“I...” she exhaled, and took a small step away from him, receiving a questioning glance in response.

Before he could say anything, she took one of his hands, holding it in both of hers with her thumbs resting against his palm. Her lips touched against each of his fingertips, and her hands began to tremble, before she led his palm to rest square against her breasts. He could feel the fluttering, anxious beat of her heart.

“...I...I want...”

Crimson blossomed through her cheeks, and the bright, doe-eyed look she gave him was briefly tinged with fear. All of her hair hung over one of her shoulders as she slowly tilted her head to the side, reaching back behind her neck to undo the tie partially holding the top of her swimsuit up, and the threads fell limply against her chest. Her eyes were closed, and her bottom lip trembled slightly as she held it between her teeth.

“...Karna, I—.” her eyes opened, meeting his, “I—I haven't...done this, before...that's probably why, yesterday...” she turned away from him bashfully before she could see his eyes widen, “But I...I want you to...” he could feel her fingers quaking against his hand on her chest, “...please...”

With a slow breath in, and his own heart pounding fitfully, he removed his hand from her chest to take one of her own, and kiss the back of it.

“Ritsuka...” his lips kissed against each of her knuckles, before he pressed the palm of his hand to her smaller one, “I cannot believe that the trust and affection you hold for me goes this far...” he linked their fingers together, “I will stop, at any time, if you need me to—do not push yourself too far for my sake. Causing you any pain is the last thing I want to do.”

She sighed out a long, nervous exhale, and nodded, breaking the hold of their hands and standing on her toes to reach up and push his hair out of his face. Her hands settled on his jaw as her thumbs stroked his skin.

“I—I promise, I'll tell you if I need you to stop.”

Her cheeks began to heat up once more, and her breathing was unsteady as her trembling fingers dipped beneath her swimsuit top, tugging it up and over her head, letting it slip from her fingers and fall onto the floor. The top of her swimsuit was an outline around her neck and chest, creamy skin contrasting her light tan. She continued to shake as she almost brought her arms up to cover her bare chest as an automatic response, but she realized what she was doing, and grabbed both of his hands in hers as she forced herself to keep her gaze on him.

“Karna...please—.”

Ritsuka had barely been able to get the words out before his lips slotted against hers. One of his hands tangled in the back of her hair as his arm wrapped around her waist, nearly yanking her towards him in his need to feel her body against his. Her breath came out in a soft gasp as she felt herself lifted up, one of his arms under her knees, the other under her back, and he gently deposited her on the bed, her head resting against the plump, fluffy pillows.

Karna settled his knee between her legs as he mouthed at her neck, the heat of his hands dragging along her skin as they moved from her waist to cup her breasts, and Ritsuka cried out weakly from the squeeze of his fingers and the slow roll of his thumbs. He trailed his lips down to kiss along the length of a scar on her sternum, and her chest heaved from just how hard she was breathing. The tips of his fingers faintly pressed into her ribs as his hands slid down to her hips, securely holding them down with the brunt of his palms as he kissed against the faded scars on her quivering stomach. There was a particularly deep one just above the waistband of her swimsuit that he could recall seeing her get, and his lips lingered on it in a silent apology.

Her tan line returned as he tugged at the striped bottoms of her swimsuit, and her knees bent to allow him to drag them down and off easier. He looked at her face to gauge how she was doing; her cheeks were cherry red as she lay entirely nude against the sheets. His hand slid across the sheets to take hers, gripping it firmly.

“I—I'm okay. You don't need to stop...”

In spite of what she said, he could feel her shivering from how anxious she was. Giving her hand a last squeeze, he eased her legs apart, pressed his thumbs into the tender skin of her inner thighs, and descended.

The catch of her breath echoed loudly in the room, her toes curling as her legs snapped around his neck to keep him where he was. She was warm, and slick, and one of her hands reached down to thread her fingers into his hair as she tried to bring him in deeper, her hips bucking against his mouth. His fingers came up to wrap around her thighs, spreading out, clamping onto her hips to still her movements. A sob was drawn out of her as he leaned back to his knees without pausing, her legs lifted high in the air on his shoulders as his mouth worked against her. There wasn't any way for her to fight against the strength of the unyielding grip he had on her, and all she could do was hold weakly onto his hair with one hand while the other rested against her mouth, lips pressed against the back of her hand. It did nothing to muffle the soft whimpers that spilled from her.

His tongue swiped a long, slow line up, and his lips pressed in. Eyes snapping open, her back arched, and every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire.

“Th—That's...”

His eyes opened, just enough to peer down at her. Ritsuka's eyebrows were furrowed tightly, back of her hand pressed firmly against her mouth, flushed to the tips of her ears. Letting his eyelids flutter shut once more, he gently wrapped his lips around it, and felt her hand fall from his hair as her voice cracked from the keening moan that she let loose.

It was like a jolt had gone through her whole body, and she trembled, her breathing rapid and strained, sounding more like high-pitched whines. Her legs became limp on his shoulders, and he slowly swiped his tongue against his lips as pulled back to ease her fully down onto the bed once more. With a look of mild amusement on his face, he watched, and waited, as she slowly managed to come back down, and he reached for one of her hands. Her fingers twitched slightly, before giving his own a faint squeeze.

“You are very sensitive. It's a nice surprise,” he said as he leaned down to kiss up her neck, nipping at spot under her jaw and drawing out a whimper from her as if to prove his point.

Ritsuka brought her hand up, her fingertips brushing against his cheek.

“Maybe you're just really good?”

Karna breathed out a chuckle.

“If that's how it feels for you,” he pressed his lips to hers, fingers tracing a line down past her stomach, and he savored the gasp that came out as he eased his middle finger inside of her, “Then allow me this moment of pride.”

Her other hand reached for his, their fingers intertwining tightly, and he kissed against her neck as he felt her tense up. Gently, he took her earlobe between his lips, feeling her relax as he pulled a familiar sounding whine out of her, and he kissed away the embarrassment that appeared on her face when he caught her eye again.

She gripped his hand like a vice, a hitch of her breath leading into a soft moan of his name as he curled his finger inside of her, the moan becoming louder as his thumb applied a light pressure to the same spot his lips wrapped around earlier. Her arm snaked around his shoulders, and she brought herself up against him, face buried in his neck as he drew a slow circle into the spot, and she let out a cry as he felt his finger press up and drag, deep inside of her. Every movement he made was methodical, and precise; there was no wasted effort.

The grasp she had on him only became clingier as he carefully slid a second finger inside of her, slowing as she let out a small, discomforted whimper, stopping entirely as both pressed in to the last knuckle. She was shaking against him, and he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her back. The catch of her breath in her throat became a sharp gasp as his thumb dragged down, and as she breathed out a tiny whine, her hips snapping up, he began to move his fingers.

“ _Karna...”_

Ritsuka pulled away from him to bring their lips together, her desperate heaves for air coming out as broken little moans as his fingers rubbed inside of her, back and forth in a steady rhythm. She pressed her mouth into a thin line, burying her face in his neck as she felt his thumb start moving once more, sending tiny shocks of pleasure throughout her body. The lines her fingernails raked down his back were jagged, and red, and they healed instantly as her mana freely poured into him. Any tension that was still left in her body was quickly unraveling, and as his eyes closed, he drew her soft, warm body against him.

“I'm—.”

Ritsuka's toes curled as she cried out his name.

He caught her lips in his as he felt her spasm around him, and he swallowed the series of whimpers that bubbled up from the back of her throat.

She held his face in her hands, his arm still wrapped around her back, as she kissed him. Her breath hitched against his mouth as he eased his fingers out, and before he could bring his hand to his lips to clean them off, she shakily grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“What are you—.”

“I—I want to...” her glassy eyes pleaded with him, and he leaned back as she sat all the way up on her knees, “Please...”

He felt both his brain and his heart stop working as her eyelids fluttered closed, and she brushed her hair behind her ear before taking his fingers into her mouth one at a time, letting out a short, soft moan as her tongue ran along the black of his skin. The first one released with a wet _'pop'_ after a few moments, and a thin line of saliva trailed from the second one before breaking as she put his hand down.

“I—I'm sorry, I just...I wanted to...” she covered the bottom half of her face with her hand, eyes squeezing shut as she turned away, “I, I don't know...I thought you would like it...”

She squeaked as he ripped her hand away from her face, dug his fingers into her hair, and crushed his lips to hers forcefully, tongue pushing past her lips to devour her. His hand slid down from her hair to her spine as he dipped her, moving further and further in until she was nearly pinned down on the bed beneath him once more. It was all she could do to just breathe, hands numbly caught against his chest, and as he continued to take her, stealing the air from her lungs and scraping his teeth against her lips, his name was the only thing she could even think.

When he finally pulled back, she was able to see just how flustered he was—his brow furrowed tightly and his eyes closed tighter, cheeks stained red, mouth forming a thin line. She couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of herself.

“...I am at a loss for words,” he breathed out, finally managing to open his eyes and look at her, “Ritsuka, that was—.”

She stopped him with a tender kiss.

“Something for _me_ to keep in mind for _you,”_ she ran her hands through his hair, watching him shiver as her nails lightly scratched against his scalp, “Karna...I'm ready.”

He did his best to make her as comfortable as possible as he gently reclined her back, placing a pillow beneath her hips. As he settled between her legs, one hand on her knee, the other stroking her face, the last remnants of his armor faded away.

“You really are something else,” he murmured, thumb caressing against the blush on her cheek.

He could feel the curve of her smile against his mouth as she kissed him.

“Karna,” she whispered his name against his lips, “Please...”

Her fingers clutched his shoulders, his arms warmly embraced her, and he kissed her tenderly as he pushed inside of her as slowly as possible.

She kept her breathing as even as she could, trying to stay relaxed, but the exhale she let out was long, and shaky, as he finally pressed all the way in. All he could do was hold her tighter, and as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, he let out a breath he didn't know he'd even been holding in. He was perfectly still, patiently waiting for her to adjust as his hand rubbed up and down the length of her spine.

Patience abruptly turned into fear as heard her sniffling below him, felt her trembling against him, and as he jerked himself back, seeing tears running down her face, he instantly began to panic.

“I have to stop, I've hurt you—.”

Ritsuka dug her fingers into him firmly as he attempted to move away, and shook her head.

“You haven't,” her hands cupped his face, “Th—There was a pinch....and it's...different...but I'm not in any pain...” she smiled at him, “I—I didn't mean to worry you...I just...you make me so happy, Karna.”

The relief flooded over him, and his arms coiled around her as he brought her close to his body. His heart hammered in his chest as he thought only about how much he loved her.

“Karna,” she breathed out, and one leg came up after the other around his waist, “...please...”

With a soft kiss, he began to move, pace slow, but grazing deeply inside of her. She bit down on her lip to stifle a whimper as her fingers clutched onto his shoulders from behind, and a sharp rock of his hips had her gasping, dragging her nails down his back. Her head lolled to the side as he kissed her neck, her pulse a fluttering vibration against his lips. The legs around his waist gave an insistent tug, and he eventually managed to take the hint, beginning to up the pace, relishing in the way her breath hitched and how his name came out in a broken cry. He slid his hand down to the small of her back, angling her hips up, and he kissed her through the loud, breathy moan that he dragged out of her.

“ _Oh...”_

One of her arms limply fell off from around his back and onto the bed, her head falling further to the side to give him more room to press his lips against her neck, already rife with red circles and teeth marks. Karna graciously took the invitation to kiss down to her collarbone and run a line of small bites along it. With a particularly deep roll of his hips, he heard the sound of air sucked in sharply through teeth, and her breath began to come out small and high-pitched, her voice breaking and cutting off, as she writhed against him.

His palm touched the side of her face and gently tilted her head back towards him, and her lips parted against his easily as he leaned into her. When they broke for air, he could feel her warm breath on his mouth. A pause, as he took the moment to indulge in the feeling of her hands sinking into his hair, and he pressed his tongue against hers as she pulled him back down.

“It feels good...” her eyes were half-lidded as she sighed out the words against his lips, _“Nh...!”_

From her lower back to her thighs, his hand traced a faint path, her skin prickling as it did, and his fingers had pressed divots into the skin of her leg as he gave her body a slight angle. First lips, then tongue, worked to muffle the subsequent whine that keened out of her. She arched her back, her arms embracing him, face buried against his neck, and her eyes squeezed shut as she began to rock back and forth into him. His arm was a perfect fit under the curve of her back, and he sunk his fingers into her thigh as he felt her entire body tremble against him.

With a steady, prolonged roll of his hips, he had Ritsuka crying out, right on the precipice. His lips went up to press a lingering kiss to her temple.

Her eyes cracked open, and she was just barely able to properly look at him.

“Karna—.”

Perhaps unfairly, he took her earlobe between his lips, and gave it a slight tug—whatever thread she had been hanging on by was summarily cut. His name came out as a needy whimper as she clung to him, her body pulsing against him, around him, and he buried his face in her neck as she rode it out.

Karna watched as she caught her breath, fingers brushing the loose strands of hair from her reddened face. Clasping her head in his hands, he leaned down to press his lips to her forehead, but as he tried to pull back, he felt her legs still securely locked around his waist.

“What—.”

“You haven't finished,” her eyes cracked open; blinking back stars, Ritsuka trembled as she brought herself up until she was sitting in his lap, murmuring against his lips, “I want you to feel good, too.”

“I—.”

He clamped his mouth shut to stifle the sound that Ritsuka dragged out of him as she ground down against his lap, and his eyebrows knitted together as he exhaled, hard and wavering.

“I know you're close...don't make me have to order you,” her arms snaked around his neck as she pressed herself fully against him, warm breath grazing his ear, _“Come on...”_

Ritsuka let out a soft, startled noise that melted into a moan as his lips took hers, arms clutching her slim back to hold her close as his tight control began to slip. His mouth kissed down to the hollow of her neck, and a whimper fell from Ritsuka's lips as he sucked another mark into her skin, and then another, all along the plane of her neck. A shudder ran down his spine as he felt her nails scrape lightly at the base of his scalp, and distantly, he could feel the rhythmic, deep rolls of his hips become quick and staggered thrusts.

Even as his thoughts grew hazy and muddled, he still had enough of his mind about him to run one of his hand down her back, along the smooth curve of her waist, and he felt her jump and tighten around him as his thumb pushed down between her legs.

“Karna—I...” her fingers were quaking as they fell to cling to his shoulders, “I can't—I can't do it one more ti _mmh...”_ Ritsuka clawed at his skin desperately, leaving marks, as he applied more pressure, “I—I can't...” she shook her head, and buried her face in his hair.

His head tilted up and his hand tangled in the back of her hair to crush her lips to his so he could drink in the little choked-off moans that freely spilled out of her. Tears of overstimulation prickled at the corners of her eyes, and he wiped them away as her forehead bumped against his.

As she managed to open her watery eyes, the bright orange a border around her dilated pupils, a smile broke on her lips. Though her hands were unsteady, she was able to place them on the sides of his face.

“I—I love you.”

He kissed her, arms moving to wrap around her waist and bring her into him as he swallowed down the sob that had been ripped out of her from one final, deep circling of his thumb. His chest heaved against hers as his hips jerked, and stopped, breathing in a quiet gasp for air as she cupped his face and kissed his forehead.

The beat of her heart was a pounding staccato as he rested his head against her chest, the both of them catching their breath, but he listened as it slowly but surely began to die down and regulate.

She whimpered, biting down on her lower lip, as he carefully lifted her off of him, easing her back down onto the bed. Parts of his armor reappeared on his body as he settled up behind her, pressing gentle kisses against her neck as he reached for her hand and entwined their fingers.

“I...” she started, “I can't...feel my legs...”

“I see...” his eyes closed, “I did my job, then.”

With his eyes shut, he was unable to see just how red the tips of her ears were.

“Um...Did you guys build...bathing facilities, like we did?”

“Yes. I thought it was unnecessary, but the others were jealous of the hot spring you'd all built.”

“Oh I'm so glad you said that,” she sighed, “I didn't...I didn't want t-to have to walk all the way back to base camp...with...” she shook her head, “It feels so weird...”

“I did try to stop.”

“It's not—it's not _bad!”_ she turned around to be able to see him, but the blush on her face only worsened as she moved, “And...I know this was about me, but, um...for future reference...” Ritsuka couldn't look at him, “It—It's not like there's a risk or anything, so, just...don't hesitate to just...go ahead and...” her voice became an embarrassed squeak, “...inside...”

“I have to admit...I was surprised when you prevented me from pulling back,” he tilted her head up to see her face; her cheeks were bright red, “I didn't expect you to want me to keep going.”

“I want you to feel good, too!” he started to speak, but she pressed her finger to his lips, “And I know you're probably fine just making it so I can't walk—Karna, I can _tell_ just how pleased with yourself you are right now,” her blush came back to her face as he smiled, more of a smirk, and wrapped his fingers around her wrist to kiss against her fingertips, “I-I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy you spoiling me, but it's not fair if it's always me all the time. You like it when you make me feel good, right? Well, I like it when I make you feel good,” she pressed the palm of her other hand to the red gem on his chest, “Your self control is ridiculous...but seeing you lose it a little bit, because of me...I liked that a lot.”

He intertwined their fingers together.

“...Alright. I understand. I'll make sure I keep that in mind for next time.”

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed against his knuckles, “I'm glad. Now I would love to get clean right now, but I...still can't feel my legs. Could you...carry me to your guys' bath?” she let go of his hand as he began to get off the bed, “I hope Kojirou isn't around...I really don't want him to see me naked.”

“Neither of them come to this part of camp until late at night,” he picked her up off the bed with ease, “It should be just the two of us here for some time.”

“That's good,” her face began to heat up as she traced random shapes on his chest, “I don't want to give you up just yet.”

He dipped her just enough to be able to press his lips to hers, and her hands clasped his face as she quietly moaned.

“Anything you want, I'll do it.”

“I know,” she smiled, but then her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned scarlet, “O—Oh no, it's...I can feel it— _please get me to the bath right now.”_

***

While the merciless teasing still had yet to stop, it was a relief to most of the other girls that her nightly walks were back to normal—that Ritsuka herself, was back to normal. Some of them still had the inclination, however, to make sure that things were going smoothly—even though they had all been left disappointed by Ritsuka's patent refusal to share anything about their bedroom relationship.

“It's nice to see Master so happy again,” Martha said with a hum, but as she kept her eyes on the two of them longer, the smile on her face slid into one of exasperation, “But...well, it's...”

“You can just say it,” Mordred's surfboard wobbled back and forth as she leaned on it, looking over at Martha from behind the foliage they were hiding behind, “They're so cute they make you wanna barf.”

Martha frowned, “That's not how I would've put it!”

“Hey. At least it's not Fionn,” Scáthach spoke seriously.

Tamamo nodded, solemn, “At least it's not Fionn.”

Way down the shoreline on the beach, oblivious to the group of girls spying on them, Ritsuka stood on her toes, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Your hair is always so soft...” she finally pulled back, satisfied, “I wish it didn't get in your eyes so much, though.”

“It has never hindered me in battle.”

“What _has?”_ she shook her head, reaching for his hand, “It just reminds me of that time Da Vinci threw that party to, er, “improve staff morale”, and all the Servants got dressed up. Even you! I kept getting flustered around you because you looked so handsome wearing a suit, with your hair all slicked down.”

“Tamamo would not let me leave my room until I was up to her standards. At the time, I didn't understand why she was doing it, but it makes sense now,” as he stared down at her, his lips quirked into a small smile, “I still have the suit. I could wear it for you whenever we return, if you'd like.”

He took her chin in his fingers, tilting up her very flushed face to kiss her on the forehead.

“In fact, I thought I'd done something wrong at the time, as you kept avoiding me, and could barely look at me when we danced together,” she made a distressed little noise as he took her hand, kissing her knuckles with a smile, “Something else for me to keep in mind.”

“...You were a good dancer, too...” she mumbled, leaning forward until her forehead hit his chest, and he rubbed her back, “...Somebody put on a slow song when we were together. I don't have proof, but I'm pretty sure it was Da Vinci who did it.”

“I do remember that,” his lips touched against her forehead, and he wrapped his arm around her waist to bring her close into his chest, “I held you like this,” his other hand went to reach for hers, mimicking the dancing pose.

“You're always so warm,” their fingers intertwined together, “It felt so nice to be up against you like that.”

“I loved you, then,” he pressed his face against her neck, “It's a fond memory. I've thought back to it often.”

They separated, eventually, and kept their fingers linked as they began their steady, easy walk down the beach. Ritsuka felt a larger wave come in, washing over her feet and sandals. She couldn't help but sigh, and her eyes were downcast as she stared at the sand.

“Karna...” her voice was soft, and timid, “...We're getting really close to finishing our escape ship.”

His hand squeezed hers.

“I know.”

“And I—.” she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, the lids of her eyes gently closing, “I want you with me. So um...” her cheeks were a soft pink, and she stopped him, grabbing both of his hands in hers, “I-I know you have your own room and all, but could you...Karna, I...I want to be able to see you at the end of the day!”

A shy smile grew on her lips as she looked at him with eyes so sincere.

“I—I sleep better with you around, too, you know? And I...” her voice dropped, becoming quieter and more embarrassed, “...If I have to spend all day in Rome, during a rayshift, or in the simulator with Mash, or if I get dragged around to wherever for the whole day by someone, then I—I want to be able to at least see your face before I fall asleep at night.”

A strong gust of wind blew through the air as he leaned down to kiss her, the palms of her hands lightly resting on his chest.

“Ritsuka,” he spoke against her lips, and brought her in closer to the warmth of his body, “Nothing would make me happier.”

Her eyes lit up, and she met his lips once more.

“I'm...I'm really glad,” as she turned back to start walking once more, her eyes widened, “Oh!”

She let go of his hand and took a step forward, bending over and picking up a perfectly in-tact scallop shell that was the size of her palm. As she stood on the shoreline, under the bright light of the moon, hair blowing in the wind as she grinned at him, all he could think was of how much he loved her.

“Look at this! I finally got a shell for Mash!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> few things:
> 
> \- i hope you all liked that sex scene; it was gratuitous and added nothing and i essentially only did it to brush up on writing sex scenes but everyone in this fandom tag seems extremely horny so i thought it might be appreciated
> 
> \- in case you couldn't tell i dont think tamamo would act the same with a female master at all considering she comes off as aggressively heterosexual. some of the art arco wada has drawn of her may say otherwise but in these games holy shit she is extremely straight.
> 
> \- also i watched karna's substory from fate extella for this, where he singlehandedly wins the moon cell for tamamo and then defeats god, and his friendship with tamamo is so god damn cute. the fact that she calls him "mr. karna" because hes like the only subordinate she actively respects is just [chef's kiss]
> 
> \- on that same note, i know servants aren't supposed to remember their previous summonings but lord knows that doesn't apply for shit in fgo and servants mention things that happened in entirely different timelines constantly while also being like "damn that other servant looks familiar". they remember as much as they need to for the character interactions to be interesting, is basically the rule of thumb that i've seen.
> 
> \- nasu said in an interview that gil and casgil would be extremely annoyed by each other which is really fucking funny. how much of an asshole do you have to be for both the older and younger versions of yourself to hate your guts
> 
> \- chaldea summer odyssey doesn't happen because it's just genuinely so stupid
> 
> \- i did some reformatting on this fic to make it exactly 69 pages in openoffice let's fucking gooooooo


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